Hail Satan

-Some of the "works," some of its own quirks-

This is a demo that can interchange between a few of their own styles and yet still maintain their own particular atmosphere. Ancient Sign Glorify is an ideological black metal band that got a lending hand from the characteristic and physical thickness of death metal with some heavier intended palm mutes and a decent amount of simple strummed savagery.

The production has a slightly rough edge but is decently audible for a demo recording, yet there are a few strengths and weaknesses with the mix of the recordings where a little more is needed to be able to encompass the whole 'sign-of-the-ancient-glorified' package. For instance, the guitar sound leaves something to be desired, not only from its lanky and thin-to-medium tone, but the type of rhythms that the band is going for. It still uses a somewhat dirty and grainy quality with distortion and reverb, though I think this would have worked better if they were more abstract in nature, potentially sleazy, or even really chaotic like the early Beherit recordings for instance. On the other hand the drums are strangely well done in comparison and possibly the loudest thing here in the mix. The bass drums come through with actual bass and give the riffs some punch as a result as well. Though most likely from this being an electronic drum set from the hits of the drums and cymbals being too precise and non-varying in range of sound. But I have to say this is mostly matching for the band, where you'd initially think it would clash.

There are keyboards only used for the ominous beginning intro. This uses some variety of a female voice humming indistinguishable words. The intro is titled 'Lament of a Witch,' though I just get the impression of a few field working peasants using their anxious time for a coming inevitable battle, painstakingly slaving on the fields that the warlord greedily owns as well. Either way, it is a workable contrast and I still feel fits from some other intros that go for a completely evil and wicked build up to the music, and it's kind of a subtle if still neat idea if you think about it. This also includes a background rhythm that keeps the humming intact with simplistic interflowing layers.

Where there are riffs, there is always some lunatic out there to headbang to them. This is a mid-paced form of music, so your bangs and bobs will be of the long and swaying type instead of the short and rapid kind. The bass guitar is heard periodically when a note might escape out from the guitar. They also use a few clean guitar interludes with the drums still playing and sound stand-out and suited for the band. The drummer's double bass gallops are an attracting persuasion, yet some of his tom hits and rolls could have been retracted and reduced from them going for more complicated rolls and reeking of some simplistic missteps in voluminous and vexing quality. The guitars equally sound better during slower solos instead of faster ones that seem to get tangled in its own web of deception and go beyond some patterns and weaving ability. The vocalist uses short-breathed rasps, even if the music is somewhat at a slower pacing. He'll match notes with this almost paused method per hit, and he might only occasionally add a rare extension to one of his rapid vocal deliveries. It is one of the most oddly placed vocal deliveries I've heard for a mid-paced band. Because it is more characteristic to a faster band, of say thrash, who might be trying to match the rapidity of half a dozen notes per second. Think of something like Nocturnus's 'The Key' but instead with much more casual sounding mid-range riffs, and then with the same vocal delivery; the equation wouldn't really add up. However, it is even more unusual because he has a slight inclusion of delay to project his voice where someone with longer extensions might utilize this feature with more accommodation. At times I feel that it is satisfactory for the band and then it can get a little jittery with flow and timing with the trajectory of the vocals to the music. I can imagine if the demo was any longer its charm would have begun to fade and then eventually disappear.

I have to say Ancient Sign Glorify's demo recording still has its moments, though to get a clearer definition of where it stands, it isn't devastating as in creativity or even the embodiment of a crushing weighted mallet. The band provides some basic heavier oriented riffs, and some parts that reach below the top strings and might show a rare glimpse of intricacy. The band is atypical of your run-of-the-mill black metal band for what was the usual suspects in the '90s at that point. Still, Ancient Sign Glorify needed a few areas that could have pushed them forward to a better sounding recording; it can get the job for being somewhat entertaining, though the remembering factor is the vocalist being a little mismatched to the music, a feature that doesn't always do them justice. And I feel at that point anyway they were somewhat on their way to at least being a low-key band, if they didn't eventually get lost outside of recordings in another way. (For a toothsome read see Poeticus Severus)