Ancient Ascendant

Ancient Ascendant

Ancient Ascendant are a British metal group from Reading, active since 2005. The quartet plays a style built on black metal and death metal, with progressive, technical and thrash influences, and is described as combining these elements into a single extreme sound. Candlelight Records is listed among the band’s labels.

Releases

The band releases its debut EP, The Heathen Throne, and follows it with the debut album The Grim Awakening, released through Siege of Amida Records. It then issues the EP Into The Dark, which is produced with Dan Swanö. Their second full-length, Echoes and Cinder, follows in 2014 and continues the direction developed over the previous years.

Touring and collaborations

Ancient Ascendant support and share bills with a number of metal acts, including 1349, Bolt Thrower, Rotting Christ, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Blood Red Throne. Bolt Thrower personally invite them to support the band. They also tour the UK with Aborted, travel through the UK and Ireland with Enslaved and Winterfylleth, and appear as main support to Hypocrisy. Other shows include appearances with Sodom, Pestilence, Darkest Era, Vallenfyre and Bloodbath. The band also plays the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock Open Air.

Recording and reception

Into The Dark marks a further development of the band’s sound and is shaped under Dan Swanö, who also works with them on the later full-length recording. The group receives positive notice for its musicianship and songwriting, with comments highlighting the quality of the riffs, the blend of black, death and thrash metal, and the strength of the vocals.