Archaic Oath – Determined to Death and Beyond
Release Date: 24th April 2026
Label: AOP Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Blackened Death Metal.
FFO: Naglfar, Dissection, Unanimated, Kvaen, Thulcandra, Emperor.
Review By: Rick Farley
“From a fleeting communion in 2005, Lykormas and Arneriach soon felt the ancient pull once more, the irresistible summons of decay, of origins long since festering in shadow. They turned toward their rotted foundations, seeking to forge sound steeped in elder days and forgotten Rites. Seasoned wanderers of the underground, they now also bear the banners of Marche Funèbre and Hemelbestormer, yet the old hunger never slept.
Thus, Archaic Oath was sworn. A covenant to resurrect blackened death metal in its most primal form as once conjured by legendary bands and kindred spirits. Its veins run thick with the essence of the 90s melodic black metal era, tempered by decades of metal etched into flesh and bone.”
Determined to Death and Beyond is the Belgian band’s debut album and was masterminded by Lykormas (all instruments, music) and Arneriach (vocals, lyrics.) Both members are veterans of the genre and waste little time in unleashing darkly melancholic melodies over scorching walls of tremolo guitars and shrieky growls that dig deep into your subconscious. Off the rails style drums unbound by restraint, burst and gallop their way forward in aggressive, unfettered movements. The drums are a little low in the mix but for the typical classic black metal sound, they hammer away with enough dense weight to feel their power. A shadowy amount of spoken word and uneasy cleans occasionally rear their ugly heads just enough to add a frightening, frosty cold to the bleak harshness of the vocals. The tempo stays in the faster paced, blood soaked, creepily weaving guitars to the ferociously intense belting of blast beats and overwhelming, suffocating darkness. Tracks like Wrath of the Witches sound putridly evil with sinister melodies, and searing, blackened riffs paced to cleave your head clean off with frozen edged steel. The different atmospheric moods of the song give it a warring feel as if there’s a glimmer of hope frantically fighting back amidst an unrelenting horde of darkness. While Into the Temple of Light is epic with triumphant, medieval influenced melodies, floating over waves of ominous atmosphere. A mix of speed, airiness and crushing melancholy gives this track the most diversity on the album.
Recorded and mixed at Crestfallen Audio by Lykormas. Mastered at Liquid Aether Audio by Mario Dahmen. Determined to Death and Beyond is a blast from the past in using rawness as atmosphere while the instruments are grating, dense, and trebly crisp. This is still produced modern enough to be audibly listenable while maintaining all the intensity of a more classic black metal recording.
Archaic Oath having released a very enjoyable record, Determined to Death and Beyond would benefit from a little diversity. This is an authentic representation of a sound that is beloved by the darkest of hearts but is also incredibly stretched thin. This however is one of several newer records that do it so well that I will gladly listen to it, that is when I’m not already reaching for the classics. That’s not to say, you shouldn’t give this a spin because in the end, this is a damn good traditional black metal record being released in 2026. Sometimes revisiting a simpler time with something new and no extra filler can be exactly what you need. Do check this out.
(3.5 / 5)
