Often the world of extreme metal tries to bring forth some sense of ancient madness and chaos into its work to try and emulate some sort of foreboding presence mixed with the power of old to make for a performance that’s as haunting as it is immense in its presence. However, few are ever truly able to tap into such potential in a meaningful fashion such that when one does accomplish such a feat, it’s always a sight to behold. While there are some in the veins of black metal that are able to do that with real finesse, it’s from death metal that we don’t see it accomplished on a consistent basis whatsoever which makes the reality of the new creation from Harvest Gulgaltha all the more intriguing with that alone, not even including all that is achieves outside that.

While far from straightforward death metal with plenty of cues taken from the world of black metal to make the release something more of a mixture between the two in more ways than one, there is nothing typical nor straightforward about the madness that Harvest Gulgaltha conjures forth in these seven tracks. Constantly switching it up when it comes to pacing, sound, and even the very approach of how they go about their particular brand of madness, you can really feel that coveted power of old in every minute of “Ancient Woods” whether it be in some drawn-out and slowed down riffs that are downright hypnotizing or a deadly barrage of riffs that leave no survivors in sight as the sacrifice for those without corporeal flesh, the very horrors of this record are hard to turn away from as not only does Harvest Gulgaltha manage to pack in all in a neat form that holds nothing back from one minute to the next, but it’s in capturing that sensation of primeval power where “Ancient Woods” is able to take on a life all on its own. It’s the sort of grandeur that many bands have always tried to tap into with this being the desired result, yet sights such as this are exceedingly rare by all accounts as only the most capable and adept names are able to deliver on these pieces in forms that are able to hold sway over the listener, and that’s just the very least of what Harvest Gulgaltha has put forth here.

An album like this is a far cry from what any of us should be considered groundbreaking or mind-bending given it doesn’t really do anything new or spectacular upon investigation, but it is absolutely the sort of creation that should be held to a different standard simply for the energy and presence that it channels gloriously with the particular vein of death metal that’s taken here nothing short of intoxicating with all that Harvest Gulgaltha is able to accomplish with it. That alone makes “Ancient Woods” something to be respected in every right, and it’s the very entirety of this record that has so much to offer that it begs the question: why wouldn’t you traverse its darkness to uncover its secrets?

“Ancient Woods” releases on November 11th via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Ancient Woods” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Harvest Gulgaltha on Facebook here.