ANCIENT SETTLERS are an international band with members from Spain and Venezuela and they were formed in 2020. They play a mix of melodic Death Metal and Metalcore. The band released so far four EPs and now their sophomore full-length album “Oblivion’s Legacy”. The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (ARCH ENEMY; AT THE GATES; DIMMU BORGIR) at Studio Fredman. It has a length of about 44 minutes, and it was released via Italian Power, Thrash, and Heavy Metal specialists Scarlet Records.

The album starts with a short theatric intro, transitioning into the frantic “The Contemporary Circle of Misanthropy”, which is a mixture of fast and aggressive verse parts and mid-tempo dark melodic chorus parts. The fast parts are driven by the tight guitar riffing and the relentless double-bass drumming. The vocals are pre-dominantly growls and vary across the whole guttural range with some tonal shifts including higher pitched screams. The track includes occasional switches to clean vocals, which are at about the medium end of the vocal range. “The Contemporary Circle of Misanthropy” is a strong opening track, and is a melodeath song with a few Metalcore vibes. The title song starts where the opener had finished: thunderous riffing and overall, an aggressive sound driven by the growls. However, things switch drastically when the clean vocals take over as the sound shifts towards melodic Metalcore with dark melodies containing melancholic features. “Oblivion’s Legacy” is a track with more complex textures and twists with vocalist Argen Death keeping the track excellently together with her versatility. “Stardust Odyssey” is a fast track and opposite to the title track more direct. The growling range of Argen Death is impressive as she is able to shift quickly from deep growls to highly pitched screams. The track includes a mid-tempo break that is driven by the lead guitars and the vocals. “Wounded Heart” starts with fast verse parts, powerful riffing and plenty of double-bass drumming. The chorus parts provide the dark melodic framework with a mixture of clean and growling vocals. The break leading to the lead guitar contributions is enhanced by some arrangements which are mostly in the background. “Wounded Heart” is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below.

“Subversive” delivers a very melodic sound where also the keyboards are more prominent. The vocals provide a mixture of growls and cleans. There are a few very heavy and powerful parts with the growls and a few very melodic parts. “Subversive” is a track that cannot quite keep up with most of the album tracks as the keyboard parts and the clean vocals do not fit very well into the song. “Coven Garden” has a fast and crushing start with devastating riffing and the aggressive growls. There are distinct twists in sound leading to the chorus parts with the clean vocals following the melodies. Highlight of the track is the very contributing lead guitar solo. “The Mechanical Threats Paradox” starts with a slow guitar-driven intro transitioning into a verse part at fast tempo with powerful riffing and the trademark growls of vocalist Argen Death. The chorus parts are at a measured tempo with grim and partially melancholic melodies and the clean vocals. The break leading to the lead guitar solo is also played at a measured tempo, and this is the epic part of the track with melancholy being at full swing, enhanced by the screams of Argen Death. What could have been an album highlight, sounds a bit unfinished with the track fading out at the end.

“The Last Battle In The Earth” starts with powerful riffing and grim melodies at a measured tempo. While the verse part maintains the rhythm ad tempo with a mixture of clean and growling vocals, the verse parts are crushing and fast with the growls being the focal point. The track has many twists and turns in tempo, rhythm, and melodies. The main melodic framework is dark and melancholic yet again, and the clean vocals fit nicely in. “Cosmic Farewell” is another track at measured tempo. Introduced by an extended quiet guitar-driven instrumental part, the track is a mixture of powerful parts with thunderous riffing and quiet melodic parts driven by the guitars and at times by the keyboards. The vocals are two-parted again with the growls leading the heavy parts and the clean vocals the quiet parts of the track. The album finishes with “Redemption” and the track starts with an instrumental pre-lude leading into the fast and punishing verse parts. The chorus parts are at a measured tempo with catchy melodies. The vocals are pre-dominantly growls and they are brutal. “Redemption” could have been one of the album highlights, if there would not have been this unfinished end of the track introduced by the keyboard solo.

ANCIENT SETTLERS deliver decent melodic Metalcore album with some melodic Death Metal twists. The album has its upsides and downsides. I feel that the songwriting lacks a bit of maturity. There are many ideas, but sometimes it does not all fit well together. The best album songs were those where the tracks were written towards the vocalist’s strengths and that are the growls. Vocalist Argen Death is an amazing growler with a great versatility, but she lacks power and ability to transport emotions with her clean vocals. As most of the songs are based on both growling and clean vocals, some of the songs lose strength. The album is well produced. “Oblivion’s Legacy” has its moments and will certainly have its share of fans. Is it an album to be remembered for a long time? I doubt it.