Ancient VVisdom – Master of the Stone
Release Date: 26th January 2024
Label: Argonauta Records
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Genre: Occult Rock
FFO: Black Sabbath, Devil, Vinum Sabbatum, Seremonia.
Review By: Paul Franklin
For those of you who have yet to discover this Cleveland based apocalyptic occult rock outfit, the first thing to say is, no, that is not a typo in their name. It is Ancient VVisdom (pron. Vzzdom?) not Ancient Wisdom, presumably as there is already a black metal outfit that bagsied that particular moniker. Surely, you’d think of an alternative, rather than having to rely on a typographical gimmick as your identity? Still, they must have been really keen on the name, as they have stuck with it over the last 14 odd years.
Over those years the band have ‘gloomed up’ their original mix of folk and heavy rock, adding waves of doom metal and stoner rock, the end result being Master of the Stone, a release that proclaims to be their most comprehensive yet, “a good combination of heavy songs,..hard rockers,…and classic VVisdom style acoustic tracks.” Just a shame it’s all a bit dull.
The opening track Sold My Soul To Satan, despite the naff title, shows early promise with a fairly hefty riff, and a familiarly doomy Sabbath vibe. We even get some nice growly vocals towards the end. It’s a pity then that things never really get any better than that, in fact for a track entitled The Adversary the following number is decidedly wishy-washy.
And so, it continues, similar doomy riffs and gloomy vibes, but with nothing to really sink your teeth into (or given its Luciferian devotion, nothing to sink its teeth into you). There are a couple of acoustic tracks (Worlds Demise and The Devil’s Sermon), but again neither can quite step up to be the Nick Cave murder ballad that they clearly want to be.
Overall, the impression left by this album is one that you feel would be akin to actually attending a satanic ritual in the mundane reality of suburbia. You are expecting Ozzy to turn up covered in goat’s blood brandishing a decapitated chicken, and you end up with Derek from next door, covered in his wife’s mascara, brandishing a KFC Boneless Bucket.
(2.5 / 5)
