Ancestral Pagan Roots

Unborn were one of those serious message-driven hardcore bands from the mid-90s. They were strictly DIY, releasing records on their own label/distro. I'm not sure if such bands exist in the internet era. The means of everyday communication have changed so much. In some respects, it is much easier to ‘be DIY’ than it used to be, with home recording equipment and streaming services much more widely available. This means that the ways in which people connect and network are different, more universal and less idiosyncratic. I cannot help thinking of bands like Unborn as relics from another time, both musically and ideologically.

"Ancestral Pagan Roots" is a short blast of metal-influenced punk aggression. There is ten minutes of music; four songs and a couple of instrumental/spoken-word tracks. I love short, sharp records like this when they have a sense of thematic unity. The band's adoption of 'pagan' themes is intriguing. I can think of two reasons why they might have done this. First, they listened to a lot of metal and they liked the imagery. Second, it chimes with their ecologically conscious messages (or 'green rage', if you like). These connections are made explicit in the spoken word piece, "One Hundred & Forty Four Thousand".

The music is full of metal riffs, but I wouldn't describe it as 'metalcore'. This feels more like an alternate take on the eighties thrash/crossover sound. There is a big Slayer influence in the riffing, but I'm sure these guys were also listening to Nuclear Assault, Exodus and D.R.I. (as well as plenty of British punk/crust bands like Sacrilege). Some of these elements, especially the Slayer-isms, would infect the developing emergent 'Slayer-core' sound, which Unborn were at the forefront of (along with Abnegation on the other side of the Atlantic). Still, what I like most about this record is the punk rock simplicity. The songs are fast and brief, with some stunted solos and harsh screaming. There are enough riffs here to satisfy an open-minded thrash fan, but enough grubbiness to suit a punk.

There isn't much point highlighting individual tracks because it is best to listen to the whole thing in one go, it only lasts ten minutes. Objectively, this is merely an obscure seven-inch by a little known band, with limited influence or impact on the wider hardcore or metal scenes. Subjectively, it deserves as much praise as I can give it within those parameters. I love the sound of this record. It is much better and more exciting than the subsequent Unborn material (e.g., “Truth Against the World”). This is punk for metal fans, and more metal fans should pay attention.