Ancestral Mysteries

I've covered Kataxu earlier this year with their second and personal favorite album of theirs "Hunger of Elements". In 2021, the band would release their third and currently latest album "Ancestral Mysteries". Seeing how we're still in the review challenge and no one's covered this record yet, I figured I'd check it out and see how it's held up.

One interesting thing to note is that instrumental-wise, the album still continues what the previous album left off with some changes, as shown right from the first track "Beyond the Atlantean Gate". Compared to the previous album, the guitar riffs are given more focused, with some harsh, yet melodic riffs that power through the track. The synths still retain much of their high quality from Hunger of Elements, and though they have a more low-profile compared to the previous outing, still carry through the riffs with their spatial sounds. The drumming, however, does feel a bit weaker this time around, as while the blastbeats are powerful, their mixing is not perfect, and seem somewhat buried in the riffs and synths. Even the bass play is pretty average, and nothing to write home about with how bland it is. Nevertheless, the strength of the guitars and keyboards are enough to carry through much of the album, especially in the track "Our Lady of Oblivion" with the well-established epic atmosphere and the melodic riffs. The ambient interludes such as "The Last Whisper" and "The Polar Feast" are also pretty good, though I still think the interludes in the previous album is a bit better. With a cleaner production and more focus on the riffs, Ancestral Mysteries does a pretty good job on maintaining most of what Hunger of Elements worked, even if there are some flaws.

The vocals, however, are pretty weak. The vocals Piąty did on the previous album was phenomenal, but here, not so much. Piąty utilizes some harsh growls and screams compared to the shrieks he did on the previous album. And though they aren't completely terrible, they seem out of place given the symphonic elements. A good example of this is in the track "The Black Sun Shines", which is suppose to be a brilliant closure to the album, but the growls sound off-putting when stacked up with the guitars and synths, and I feel as though the vocals would be a lot better had Piąty added some shrieks. Plus, on the more softer part of the track, Piąty speaks in this terrible whispering voice that sounds like he's sick, and not the good kind either. It could be the case of Piąty getting older, but the new vocal performance he did on this album is not cutting it.

On the plus side, though, the lyrics are still good. The themes of space and paganism is prevalent in the lyrics, and are still well written. In the track "Our Lady of Oblivion" for instance, this verse quotes:

Last night I have dreamt of the tower again
I have stood on its top, and watch the clouds
Rolling up the hills
The tidal wave of darkness swallowing the city below
The air smelt of decay and tears

I heard her voice again, singing to me in my dream
The queen of the night, my sweetest lady of the eclipse
Her heralds are ever present at the base of the tower
Can you hear the teeth gnashing? The gurgling sound of gluttony?

Here, Piąty recounts dreaming of being in a familiar tower before seeing the queen of the eclipse. Much like with the previous album, the lyrics still go for the romantic style of songwriting that describes the events in a more introspective light, though I believe the lyrics have matured quite a bit since their last outing, given how subtle and lukewarm the story is. Plus, the lyrics work decently well with the instrumentals, as the grand atmosphere is fitting with the story, though the growling doesn't quite capture these feelings perfectly. Overall, the songwriting still remains as strong as ever, and is still fitting with the symphonic elements.

Even though this isn't quite as fantastic as Hunger of Elements given the weaker instruments and vocals, I still think there is plenty to enjoy with this album. The guitars and synths still sound great as ever, and the lyrics still offer some great retelling of space and pagans. If you haven't listened to this album yet, then I would highly recommend checking out for yourself.