ANCIENT VVISDOM TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM 'SACRIFICIAL' IN OCTOBER

Cleveland, Ohio's occult death rock conjurors, ANCIENT VVISDOM, will release their third full-length, entitled Sacrificial, later this Fall via Magic Bullet Records.

On Sacrificial, ANCIENT VVISDOM delivers ten tracks that continue to push the boundaries of both death rock and neo-folklore while retaining the memorable simplicity and melodic catchiness present on their previous, critically-lauded manifestations. Produced by founding vocalist Nathan Opposition, engineered by Travis Smith at The Diamond Factory Studios in Austin and mastered by Paul Logus (Anthrax, Clutch, Hellyeah, Shadows Fall et al) at Taloowa Mastering in New York, Sacrificial fuses all the prime qualities of the likes of Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Quicksand, into a wholly anthemic album of dark and light.

Thematically, Sacrificial delves further into singer Nathan Opposition's personal ascent into the unanticipated enlightenment of exploring humanity's universal darkness. Whereas traditional lore dealing with the occult, paganism, and Satan tends to be heavy-handed (and often synonymous with a proverbial descent away from any sort of positive self-affirmation), Sacrificial spins a slant wherein "down" becomes "up." In Opposition's world, confronting one's own demons and humanity's primordial penchant toward chaos and destructive ritual will ultimately pass each seeker through a threshold unto which deeper knowledge, sage wisdom, and self-realization envelop one's consciousness.

Interview: Ancient VVisdom

Formed around the core of vocalist and songwriter Nathan Opposition, Michael Jochum (electric guitar) and Justin “Ribs” Mason (acoustic guitar), Ancient VVisdom conjures hypnotically heavy neo-folk music that combines a myriad of musical and artistic influences while maintaining an intensity that harkens to the bandmembers’ hardcore roots. Joined by bassist TA and adding dedicated percussionist Mitchel K. Morris on their latest release, “Deathlike,” Ancient VVisdom’s sound is simultaneously spare and full of surprising instrumentation—stand-up bass, standing percussion emphasized with chains and machetes and even cigar-box guitar find their way onto the band’s recordings. 2012 found Ancient VVisdom appearing at Roadburn and touring in support of Ghost on their “13 Days of Doom” shows, evangelizing the release of their debut LP “A Godlike Inferno.” Those who caught Ancient VVisdom on Enslaved’s epic trek across North America this winter were shown what Nathan Opposition calls “a whole new machine”—a seasoned group of musicians with a signature sound and a unique and mesmerizing stage presence. Occult Rock caught up with the band after their final performance on this tour to talk about channeling the creative spirit, the ritual nature of live music and their infamous split record with Charles Manson.

Fans of your former bands like Integrity and Iron Age might be surprised by the strong apocalyptic folk (Death in June, Nature and Organization, etc.) sound of Ancient VVisdom’s music. Do you think there’s much crossover between the fan-base of your hardcore/metal bands and Ancient VVisdom?

Nathan: I’d say it’s about half and half—there are definitely people who know us from other bands that appreciate what we’re doing now. And then there’s a ton of new people we’ve met doing shows and being out there with the crowd and hanging out.

ANCIENT VVISDOM CONFIRM TOUR, REVEAL NEW ALBUM TITLE & RELEASE DATE

The Texas-based acoustic rock act ANCIENT VVISDOM have just been confirmed for a tour alongside blackened-prog stalwarts Enslaved on their "Winter Rites 2013" tour, which also features doom metallers Pallbearer. The three-week tour, which starts on Jan. 30th in Philadelphia, will be the band's first performances in support of their new album, "Deathlike," which will be released on Feb. 5, 2013. More details about "Deathlike," the follow-up to their 2011 critically acclaimed debut release "A Godlike Inferno," will be revealed in the near future.

ANCIENT VVISDOM, which consists of singer/songwriter Nathan Opposition, his brother Michael Jochum (electric guitar) and acoustic guitarist Justin "Ribs" Mason, were seen earlier this year touring the U.S. as openers for Ghost's headlining tour. From there, the band toured overseas in response to their nominations for "Best Underground Band" at Metal Hammer's Golden Gods Awards and "Best New Band" at the annual Classic Rock awards, a trek that also saw them perform at Norway's Inferno Festival, the prestigious Roadburn Festival in Holland, and live on BBC Radio.

Come see ANCIENT VVISDOM live here:
1/30       Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts #
1/31       Baltimore, MD - Ottobar #

Ancient VVisdom "Children of The Wasteland" [Video]