Unbound Zine Review

While some days I'll admit that I would rather have my teeth pulled than listen to another unsigned bands release that shows up in my mailbox, its when an EP like this shows up that I remember why I love doing this webzine. Ancestral Legacy play a simply stunning form of melodic metal that is somewhere in between doom metal and goth metal. Think Amorphis meets Opeth but with more than enough unique ideas to make this worthwhile. Its a haunting yet metallic style that manages to add even some black metal leanings that make the overall style even darker.

The songs while having doom metal elements are certainly not what you would consider plodding. The tempo is fairly brisk but you wont be hearing any blast beats. The harsh vocals are adrenaline forming and very powerful. The guttural roars instantly remind one of early Amorphis but the harsh black metal styled screams add a nice contrast to the growling. Adding even more contrast to the extreme vocals is the use of somewhat operatic female vocals. Some people tend to shrug off female vocals, but in this case they are handled impeccably and these vocals are some of the strongest I have heard in some time. The clashing of the beautiful vocals and heavy riffing is nothing short of breathtaking and it is something the band does exceptionally well.

Some may argue that the band really isnt breaking any new ground and to a point I would agree with them. This is ultimately very similar to Opeth and Amorphis but the band certainly has songwriting chops and the female vocals definitely help to separate the band from what seems like their two biggest influences. When you get right down to it anyway this is far from being a clone of either bands, sure you can hear the influences but they dont overshadow what the band has to offer. If you enjoy melodic and textured metal with harsh vocals as well as female vocals, Ancestral Legacy is a band that plays just what you are looking for.