Fourteen centuries have passed since the foul Christianization of Thuringia. Just wanted to get that out there right up front to save readers time from researching it online . . . although I guess it also means depriving some folks of the thrill of the hunt. XIV DARK CENTURIES, the Pagan Thuringian Metal band from Germany, also knowns this unusual piece of information and in fact have devoted themselves to pointing it out to people in the most epic way possible—through glorious heavy metal. On December 5, 2025, XIV DARK CENTURIES once more made their point loud and clear with the release of their fifth full length album, "Aus uralter Zeit."

The pace at which XIV DARK CENTURIES releases albums is distressingly slow, but the quality of those albums is well worth the wait. Their last album, "Waldvolk," was released in the year of our plague, 2020. And if you're thinking five years is a long wait, there was nine-year buffer between albums three and four. It's all relative.

"Aus uralter Zeit" weighs in with ten solid tracks with a full runtime of 54 minutes. All tracks are not only titled in German, but they are also sung in German as well, which I think is in keeping with the band's overall theme. I mean, German is one of the most metal sounding languages known to man.

Lots of great tracks on this album but I particularly like the way the album opens with a short intro track, aptly titled "Aus den Nebeln der..." (trans: from the mists of . . .). From this sea of ambient discord comes the raw strains of a melody that seems to be fighting to emerge from its primordial ooze. As we move into the first proper track, "Unendlichkeit" (trans: infinity) that shape takes definitive form. It is angry, it is mighty, and it is here to stay for the remainder of the album.  

Standout tracks include the twin openers noted above. I also really enjoyed "Das Portal" which serves as a bit of an interlude with its acoustic and melodic opening but then becomes something much bigger with triumphant riffage and choral vocals. This track explores a wide expanse and just feels epic and satisfying. "Was ewig liegt" (trans: what lies eternally) scratched my itch for evil and sinister with overtones of Black and Thrash. And the final track, "Nahab," is almost an album unto itself, scorching all manner of soundscape from acoustic and melodic thrumming to full-fisted riffs to frenetic and blackened assaults and ending with a wave of ambient discord.

"Aus uralter Zeit" has something for every type of extreme metal fan. Five years has been a bit of a wait but then again, the band does measure itself in centuries so I guess I can't really complain.