Ancient Rites
Encyclopedia
Ancient Rites is a Flemish
black metal
band formed in 1988. Initially, the line- up consisted of guitar players Johan and Phillip, drummer Stefan, and Gunther Theys on bass and vocals. In 1990 the Dark Ritual demo was released in the underground scene, getting worldwide attention just as black metal was gaining importance in the metal scene. Soon after the release of this demo Phillip died in a car crash and not long after, Stefan committed suicide
. However painful this episode was to the band, they decided to continue and Stefan's position was taken by his drum roadie Walter Van Cortenberg.
As Johan then decided to leave the music scene, the band found replacements for both him and Phillip in guitar players Pascal and Bart Vandereycken. This line-up would go on to release the Evil Prevails EP and several others through various record labels . Pascal was eventually fired for lack of dedication due to his obligations to the Belgian Navy
, which reduced the band to a trio. In 1994 their first full length album was released entitled The Diabolic Serenades. This line-up would also record the band's second album Blasfemia Eternal before in May 1996, just after its release, Bart left the band.
Flemish and non-Flemish musicians stepped in to help out the band on several tours in support of the album, which eventually led the once strongly Flemish rooted band to become an international act with the addition of Dutch
guitar player Erik Sprooten (ex-Inquisitor
) later that same year and Finnish
guitar player Jan "Örkki" Yrlund (ex-Lacrimosa
) in mid-1997. Shortly after the release of their third album Fatherland a keyboard player was found in Domingo Smets (ex-Agathocles
). This line-up would record Dim Carcosa, before Smets left the band in 2002 and a replacement was found in Davy Wouters (ex-Oblivion
, Danse Macabre
). This line-up can be seen on the live album/DVD And The Hordes Stood As One.
While on tour in support of the live album in May 2003, the band fired guitar player Jan Yrlund and brought back Bart in his stead. In December 2004, the line-up was further extended with the return of former members Domingo Smets, who took over as bass player since Günther wanted to focus on singing, and Raf Jansen—who had filled Bart's position for several months in 1996-1997—as third guitar player. Most of 2005 was spent writing songs for the new album Rubicon, which was released on May 15, 2006.
Over the years, Ancient Rites have played with bands like Deicide
, Motörhead, Judas Priest
, Cradle of Filth
, Metallica
, Dissection
, Morbid Angel
, Stormtroopers of Death
, Mercyful Fate
, Impaled Nazarene
, Manowar
, Sepultura
, Malevolent Creation
, Rotting Christ
and Slayer
.
During their existence the band has been subjected to boycotts , bomb threats and various other misfortunes , but this did little to stop them and only strengthened their resolve to push on.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band formed in 1988. Initially, the line- up consisted of guitar players Johan and Phillip, drummer Stefan, and Gunther Theys on bass and vocals. In 1990 the Dark Ritual demo was released in the underground scene, getting worldwide attention just as black metal was gaining importance in the metal scene. Soon after the release of this demo Phillip died in a car crash and not long after, Stefan committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. However painful this episode was to the band, they decided to continue and Stefan's position was taken by his drum roadie Walter Van Cortenberg.
As Johan then decided to leave the music scene, the band found replacements for both him and Phillip in guitar players Pascal and Bart Vandereycken. This line-up would go on to release the Evil Prevails EP and several others through various record labels . Pascal was eventually fired for lack of dedication due to his obligations to the Belgian Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, which reduced the band to a trio. In 1994 their first full length album was released entitled The Diabolic Serenades. This line-up would also record the band's second album Blasfemia Eternal before in May 1996, just after its release, Bart left the band.
Flemish and non-Flemish musicians stepped in to help out the band on several tours in support of the album, which eventually led the once strongly Flemish rooted band to become an international act with the addition of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
guitar player Erik Sprooten (ex-Inquisitor
Inquisitor
An inquisitor was an official in an Inquisition, an organisation or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things frowned on by the Roman Catholic Church...
) later that same year and Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
guitar player Jan "Örkki" Yrlund (ex-Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa is a duo led by German Tilo Wolff, the main composer, and Finnish Anne Nurmi, currently based in Switzerland, but originally from Germany...
) in mid-1997. Shortly after the release of their third album Fatherland a keyboard player was found in Domingo Smets (ex-Agathocles
Agathocles
Agathocles , , was tyrant of Syracuse and king of Sicily .-Biography:...
). This line-up would record Dim Carcosa, before Smets left the band in 2002 and a replacement was found in Davy Wouters (ex-Oblivion
Oblivion
Oblivion may refer to:*The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a 2006 video game*Oblivion , a Marvel Comics character*Oblivion , a 1994 western/science fiction film from Full Moon Entertainment...
, Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre
Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...
). This line-up can be seen on the live album/DVD And The Hordes Stood As One.
While on tour in support of the live album in May 2003, the band fired guitar player Jan Yrlund and brought back Bart in his stead. In December 2004, the line-up was further extended with the return of former members Domingo Smets, who took over as bass player since Günther wanted to focus on singing, and Raf Jansen—who had filled Bart's position for several months in 1996-1997—as third guitar player. Most of 2005 was spent writing songs for the new album Rubicon, which was released on May 15, 2006.
Over the years, Ancient Rites have played with bands like Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
, Motörhead, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Dissection
Dissection (band)
Dissection was a black metal band from Strömstad, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989, by Jon Nödtveidt. The band released its first EP in 1991. They disbanded in 2006, after Nödtveidt's suicide.- Band overview :...
, Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
, Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death
Stormtroopers of Death, better known as S.O.D., was a crossover thrash band formed in New York in 1985. They are commonly credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes called "crossover thrash." The song "March of the S.O.D.," from their 1985...
, Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
, Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....
, Manowar
Manowar (band)
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980 the group is known for its lyrics based on fantasy and mythological topics along with their "loud and bombastic" sound...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation is a death metal band originally hailing from Buffalo, New York. Moving to Florida in 1987, they became a part of the emergent local death metal scene, landing a deal with Roadrunner Records...
, Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene.- Line-up :...
and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
.
During their existence the band has been subjected to boycotts , bomb threats and various other misfortunes , but this did little to stop them and only strengthened their resolve to push on.
Lineup
- Erik Sprooten - Guitars
- Domingo Smets - Bass and backing vocals
- Walter Van Cortenberg - Drums
- Davy Wouters - Keyboards
- Gunther Theys - Vocals
Past members
- Jan "Örkki" Yrlund - Guitars (on And The Hordes Stood As One, Scenes of Splendour, Dim Carcosa, The First Decade 1989-1999 and Fatherland)
- Domingo Smets - Keys (on Dim Carcosa & Scenes of Splendour")
- Stefan - Drums (on The First Decade 1989-1999 and Dark Ritual)
- Philip - Guitars (on The First Decade 1989-1999 and Dark Ritual)
- Johan - Guitars (on The First Decade 1989-1999 and Dark Ritual)
- Pascal - Guitars (on Evil Prevails (Split w/ UNCANNY/12")
- Raf Jansen - Guitars and backing vocals (on Rubicon)
- Bart Vandereycken - Guitars (on Rubicon,Blasfemia Eternal,Diabolical Serenades)
Albums and EPs
- Evil Prevails (EP) - (1992)
- The Diabolic Serenades - (1994)
- Blasfemia Eternal - (1996)
- Fatherland - (1998)
- The First Decade 1989-1999 (compilation) - (1999)
- Dim Carcosa - (2001)
- And The Hordes Stood As One (live) - (2003)
- Rubicon - (2006)
VHS and DVDs
- Scenes of Splendour (VHS) - (2001)
- And The Hordes Stood As One (DVD) - (2003)
Miscellaneous releases
- Dark Ritual (Demo) - (1990)
- Promo 1992 (Demo) - (1992)
- Longing for the Ancient Kingdom II / Windows (Split w/ Renaissance) - (1993)
- Thou Art Lord / Ancient Rites (Split w/ Thou Art LordThou Art LordThou Art Lord are an Athens-based black metal band, formed in 1993.The line-up consists of former or current members of Greek extreme metal bands Rotting Christ, Necromantia, and now-former musicians from Septic Flesh....
) - (1993) - Uncanny / Ancient Rites (Split w/ Uncanny) - (1993)
- Scared by Darkwinds / Longing for the Ancient Kingdom II (Split w/ EnthronedEnthronedEnthroned is a black metal band formed in Charleroi in 1993 by Cernunnos. He soon recruited guitarist Tsebaoth and a vocalist from grindcore/black metal band Hecate who stayed until the end of December 1993. Then bassist/vocalist Sabathan joined. The band released a 5-track demo tape in mid-1994...
) - (1994)
External links
- Official website
- Ancient Rites at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....