Review Summary: A new quest every day
Much like Gatekeeper’s recent sophomore outing, Wild Rites and Ancient Songs sees Blazon Rite tightening the promising template last seen on 2021’s Endless Halls of Golden Totem. The production is more polished than before, making for some beefier instrumentation, and the songwriting is more accessible than the lofty titles would suggest. This execution admittedly takes away some of the ‘weird metal’ flavor from its predecessor, but a track like the opening “Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom” still has enough of that Slough Feg-style oddball at play.
The band dynamic certainly feels revamped, boasting more powerful performances. On one hand, the rhythms aren’t quite as angular and I do find myself missing the prominent synth patches at times. Fortunately, the guitar more than makes up for that with a much fuller presence between the greater emphasis on uptempo gallops and folk excursions. The vocals might also be the band’s greatest asset, coming out stronger thanks to a confident baritone bellow delivering more direct lines.
Speaking of which, the songwriting also feels more focused with the band leaning on their anthemic side while building the more dynamic tracks with direct structural transitions. “Salvage What You Can of the Night” is an especially upbeat number with its determined chugs bolstered by a catch chant-along chorus while “Mark of the Stormborn Riders” interspersing its driving pace with some mid-tempo heft. Elsewhere, songs like “The Fall of a Once Great House” and the title track see their acoustic musings masterfully flow into charging epic metal splendor with ”The Coming Tide of Yule” (wait, is this a Christmas song?) closing things out with the most satisfying integrations.
With how much I enjoyed Blazon Rite’s eccentricities on Endless Halls of Golden Totem, it’s great to see them progress with Wild Rites and Ancient Songs. Much like the last album, it has the makings of a grower in an inherently niche style. But at the same time, there’s a more immediate appeal at play that could foster attention beyond that epic metal foundation. Either way, heavy metal fans will want to have Blazon Rite on their radar.
