pic: Patrick Ballard
Louisville’s Volcandra seem like the kind of guys who would have strong opinions on which Deathstalker movie is better. (It’s Deathstalker II.) The melodic black/death metal band have dedicated their forthcoming second album, The Way of Ancients, to the sword-and-sorcery genre, in all its over-the-top glory. The first display of Cimmerian might they’re revealing is “Fouled Sanctity,” a bloodthirsty ripper that evokes the beer-cracking black sorcery of Skeletonwitch as well as the mountain-striding muscularity of Amon Amarth. It rules!
Another thing that rules is the music video for the song, directed by Inferi guitarist Malcolm Pugh. In the frame story, a dude sits down on his couch with popcorn, a beer, and his cat and pops in a dusty VHS called Volcandra. The bulk of the video takes place inside that imagined film, where the band tear through “Fouled Sanctity” while a gloriously no-fi ’80s fantasy flick unfolds around them. This thing has it all: chains, demons, skeletons, heads on pikes, knights with lightning swords, repurposed Spirit Halloween decorations. It’s a video for people who own the Roger Corman’s Cult Classics – Sword and Sorcery box set, and you can watch it now.
Volcandra also shared this statement on The Way of Ancients, “Fouled Sanctity,” and the music video:
“The Way of Ancients features an overarching high fantasy concept inspired by some of our favorite pieces of media from the sword and sorcery genre. It tells a tale of unlikely heroes traversing through deadly terrain in order to take on insurmountable forces of darkness. The album title refers to the final passage that must be taken in order to complete such a perilous quest. For this release we blended our influences from thrash metal, melodic death metal, and black metal all into one finely crafted sonic assault. It is our most aggressive record to date and we can’t wait to bring these songs to a venue near you. We are ecstatic to share this album that we are very proud of on the world stage via Prosthetic Records and expand our reach as far as possible.”
“We chose ‘Fouled Sanctity’ as the first single for this record because it takes no time to get going. From the first note you know you’re in for a banger. The track showcases our love for thrash and death metal with a blackened twist, but not without a hint of melody in the mix. The lyrics are about a brave warrior who ventures into the depths of a defiled cathedral that has been infested with demons in which he must do battle with. By the end of his quest he is possessed by the soul of the beast who is the cause of all of this chaos. For the music video we recruited our good friend Malcolm Pugh (Inferi) once again. The video pays homage to sword and sorcery films of the 1980s and our love for analog media of yesteryear.”
Preorder The Way of Ancients, out March 1, here.
