When you see some veteran bands still active, pay some respect to them. Yes, because in these days we are living now, you can't even imagine the Hell they went through in the 80s and the 90s. Things were pretty harsh to many of them, because the lack of money and difficulties in the underground scene were in a way that it's truly difficult to imagine. PENTACLE, a fine Death Metal squad from Netherlands, is a real survivor from those days, and now, you have in your hands their EP "Ancient Death", re-released.

Originally released in 2001, this EP can be said to be a compendium of the band's work. Their musical identity is completely based upon names as CELTIC FROST and DEATH, so we can label their work as traditional Death Metal in the Old School way, when aggressiveness and simple musical arrangements were the main formula to create music. PENTACLE knows a lot how to use simple elements to create very good songs. The sound quality is raw and harsh as Death Metal bands from the beginning of the 90s used to have on their albums. But to all those fans with more than 25 years on the scene, it is clear that to those bands from the past, this is the right sound quality to use. But even being filthy, we have a good level of clarity that allows us all to understand what they are doing.

Aggressive, with tempos that are not as fast as some bands on more modern Death Metal genres, and that filthy and harsh feeling of the Old School, they show great potential and fine songs. "Prophet of Perdition" with its nasty and funereal tempos and fine guitar riffs, the nasty and hooking raw musical arrangements of "Soul's Blood", some technical parts from bass guitar and drums on the insane "Descending of the Soul", and the fast tempos and great riffs on "Immolated in Flames" and "Walking Upon Damnation's Land" are proofs that those days can't be emulated only because you hear and love this kind of music. It's a matter of experience and soul. And to close the casket, they play excellent version for "Legion of Doom" (from USA legend MANTAS) and "Witch of Hell" (from DEATH), showing from where their musical influences came (and to be honest, in my personal opinion, MANTAS and DEATH are the same band, but it would take many time to explain, so I'll do it on another opportunity). "Ancient Death" is a fine EP from an honest band.