It was a heavy road, but after soul searching through the Canadian wilderness, at long last, Anciients have come full circle. Seven years removed from winning a JUNO Award for their last album, the hard-hitting Canucks are nominated once more for the band's latest heady and heartfelt opus Beyond the Reach of the Sun.
"We are very honored and excited to receive a JUNO nomination for our latest record", says Anciients frontman Kenny Cook. "Win or lose, we are grateful to be recognized on a national scale and we feel privileged to be nominated alongside the other amazing artists in the Metal category. We wish them all nothing but the best of luck. See you soon in Vancouver!"
Anciients are nominated for Metal/Hard Music Album of the year. Also nominated are Devin Townsend (PowerNerd), Kittie (Fire), Spiritbox (The Fear of Fear) and Striker (Ultrapower).
Beyond the Reach of the Sun is available now on Season of Mist.
Order & Stream
https://orcd.co/anciientsbeyondthereachofthesun
When Anciients learned they'd won the JUNO Award for Metal/Hard Music back in 2018, the band had just woken up in Vienna with eyes still caked in sludge after another blazing show during their headlining tour of Europe.
Now, in 2025, Cook, steady drummer Mike Hannay and the band's new axe men Brock MacInnes and Rory O'Brien are heading back across the pond for Britian's ArcTanGent Festival. Later this year, the band will make their long-awaited return to the states for the 23rd edition of ProgPower USA.
"The hiatus is over", Cook says. "We're ready to hit it hard".
With all being said and done, Anciients have returned! They stand ready to ascend the prog metal ladder and get back to doing what they do best with a weighty and dense, but wholly accessible, album. It’s a collection of ten songs that possesses the ability to have those furiously banging heads also tapping into their power of self-reflection and contemplation to ponder the finality of existence, the value of life and their place in the universe.
“Totally! We’re going to take as many of the opportunities that come to us. The hiatus is over and I think with the new members and everyone being on the same page we’re ready to get out there as soon as possible. We missed out on a huge block after the last record, so we’ve got to make up for lost time. Now that everyone is happy and healthy, we plan to hit it hard.”
Lineup
Kenny Cook (vocals, guitar)
Mike Hannay (drums)
Brock MacInnes (rhythm guitar)
Rory O'Brien (bass)
Guest musicians
Justin Hagberg plays keyboard on "Forbidden Sanctuary", "Is It Your God", "Melt the Crown", "Candescence", "In the Absence of Wisdom".
Jess Gander plays synths on "Candescence" and "Cloak of the Vast and Black".
Recording studio
Rain City Recorders
Producer / sound engineer
Jesse Gander
Assisted by Szymon Wojciech
Mastering studio and engineer
Stu McKillop @ Rain City Mastering
Mixing studio and engineer
Jesse Gander Rain City Recorders
Cover artwork artist
Adam Burke @ Nightjar Illustrations
Bio
Kevin Stewart-Panko
Pre-order & Stream:https://orcd.co/anciientsbeyondthereachofthesun
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