Astrofaes "Ancestors Shadows" CD Digipack

Ukrainian BM horde and a reissue of their fourth album from 2002.

For fans of: DRUDKH, GRAVELAND, HATE FOREST, NOKTURNAL MORTUM

For a long time I considered this album the cream of Ukraine’s black metal crop, and whilst I may have lost some of the interest I had, this still shouldn’t be ignored in favour of other Astrofaes recordings. It’s a good way better than their second best work, “Heritage”, and a little more inventive than the music put out by the band they share members with (Drudkh).
There is a distinct aura of pride radiating from this disc. Pride in the Ukranian people, pride in their land, pride in their Gods, pride in their art. Attention is given to the environment in particular, to thunder and to fire and to ice, and it seemingly represents a journey into war across/for Ukranian soil.
Though they often combine, there are generally two distinct moods here:
- The first is rousing, proud and very blatantly East-European. It reminds of going into a nationalist war with heads held high, yet this is purely inspired by the land and people, no typical universal nationalist traits but simply a purely Ukranian undercurrent. The guitar melodies seem to lash at you from different angles like a rain shower does in the wind. It could maybe draw “Following the Voice of Blood” comparisons, but it’s far from identical.
The beginning of “Under the Cover of Destiny”.
- The other mood pretty much sums up the word “reflective” (well ok, it’s not quite “Born For War”), occasionally drawing comparisons to some of The Shadow Order’s work. The guitar stylings could almost be compared to Katatonia, with a full, rich harmonic sound often backed up by acoustic guitar. In fact, the acoustic guitar sometimes takes centre stage.
To summarise the rest: The guitar timbre in general somehow manages to ooze nostalgia and nature – it’s quite unique and effects are occasionally used to distort it in various ways (see: the rather interesting intro to track 1). The songs are all between five and eight minutes; neither rushed or overly drawn out. Vocals are barked in a commanding manner, the music is mostly mid-paced and the rhythm is nicely varied.
It doesn’t age fantastically, mainly because it isn’t the sort of album that aims to immerse its listeners, instead just providing a window into the beauty and honour of heathen Ukraine. But this is, all in all, a fine release.

Sample: