Halifax, Canada’s relentless progressive death metal band Ancient Thrones return with their harrowing sophomore album “Melancholia”, dropping September 19th, 2025, a follow-up to 2020’s debut “The Veil”. Leading the release is their first single, “A Moon Fused Key”, accompanied by a haunting lyric video that offers a raw glimpse into the album’s psychological abyss.
Formed in 2011 and reborn in 2018 with the arrival of guitarist and composer Dylan Wallace, Ancient Thrones carved out a new identity rooted in fast, extreme, progressive, cinematic, and existential soundscapes. With “Melancholia”, the band dives deeper into these sonic philosophies, creating a concept-driven album born out of isolation, trauma, and the need to transform pain into art.
“We think this album is a turning point for us, where we were able to take the atmosphere of our previous record, and kick the aggression up to a thousand. The intention of our last record, “The Veil,” was to be poetic and hopeful, but the intention with our second full-length, “Melancholia,” is to crush any ounce of hope that is left,” adds the band.
A high-speed, technically savage record written during the first wave of the pandemic. “Melancholia” is packed with themes of hallucination, suicide, and emotional unraveling, inspired by personal experience and psychedelic trauma. Built as a narrative journey, with abstract lyrics and music that flow seamlessly from track to track.
The writing process started with Wallace churning out riffs in isolation while drummer and vocalist Sean Hickey developed the narrative alongside the music. Their creative synergy resulted in a cinematic tapestry where music evokes visuals, and lyrics deepen the vision. Each track exists as a piece of a larger, emotionally devastating puzzle.
The band meticulously sculpted every sonic detail over five years, dialing in tones and mastering techniques to ensure a pummeling production. Unlike their expansive debut, “Melancholia” tightens its tracklist to accommodate a proper vinyl release, with each song handpicked for impact. Every riff, lead, and vocal layer contributes to an immersive and aggressive listening experience.
“We didn’t plan to write a concept album, but the story began to unfold, and we couldn’t resist,” adds Hickey.
Inviting fans into the haunting world of “Melancholia”, Ancient Thrones is unveiling their first single and the album’s opening track, “A Moon Fused Key”. Kicking off the record, the track sets the stage for the violent nature about to unfold both musically and lyrically. This is the point of the concept album where the character puts an end to every piece of life in his body. At the end of the song, he sees the hand of god pulling him to heaven, and he severs it. This song is fast, filled with crushing riffs, and sets the tone for what’s to come.
The band comments:
“A Moon Fused Key is the opening track on the album, but also a climax narratively, jumping straight into where hell is unfolding in our character’s story. The song begins with unrelenting force and speed, and does not stop until the final bitter moments. We wanted to establish that Melancholia was not just a catchy title for the album; that we intend to tie our audience in a nihilistic, inhuman, terrifying, and brutal end, as the character celebrates their death viciously. This song is a statement in existential exhaustion, where you have no choice but to brace for what’s coming”.
Taking influences from black metal, 2000s death metal, and modern tech death, “Melancholia” reflects the Ancient Thrones’ commitment to pushing boundaries in extreme music. Recommended for fans of Archspire, The Red Chord, Deafheaven, and The Faceless.
Watch and listen to “A Moon Fused Key” via its lyric video premiere on NoCleanSinging HERE.
Album pre-order (Vinyl, Digital) (out Sept 19th, 2025) – https://ancientthrones.
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Track Listing:
1. A Moon Fused Key (5:12)
2. Achromatopsia (1:19)
3. Melancholia (6:17)
4. A Turning Point (5:46)
5. A Pellucid Prism (4:26)
6. Sacred Swollen Glass (6:16)
7. Blight (2:18)
8. A Pale Palace (4:55)
9. Vacant (5:31)
Album Length: 42:00
Band Lineup:
Dylan Wallace – Guitar
Nick Leslie – Guitar
Matt LeBlanc – Bass
Sean Hickey – Drums & Vocals
More info: Facebook.com/Ancientthrones | Instagram.com/ancientthrones
What the press has said about 2020’s “The Veil”:
“A full-throttle attack, the song (The Sight of Oblivion) delivers bludgeoning rhythms, vicious darting and slashing guitar-work, scorching blackened shrieks, and cold-hearted roars. There’s a brazen, borderline-unhinged quality to the barrage, generated by screaming, rapidly whirling leads, magma-like bass notes, and fast-changing, bone-cracking drums. But within the assault there are also fluid, sinuous melodic leads whose mellifluous, reverberating tones give the music a mysterious, mesmerizing, and mournful quality. And near the end one of those leads morphs into a fret-burning dual-guitar extravaganza that really gets the blood rushing.” – No Clean Singing (2020 – The Veil)
“Nearly an hour in length, The Veil earns that run-time with crisply-written compositions and an arsenal of sky-ripping riffs. The acoustic reprieve of “Sentient” and melodic grief of “Permanent” reveal the album’s heavy heart. But the album conjures strength from those pensive moments. Rife with nimble axe-work from Dylan Wallace and Nick Leslie, The Veil never succumbs to the solemnity of its subject. The Veil remains an impactful listen down to its final dying note.” – Decibel Magazine (2020 – The Veil)
“Trailer Park Boys and Hobo With a Shotgun aren’t the only pieces of media that have emerged from Nova Scotia that you should get excited over.” – MetalSucks
“From the massive tremolo sections and bludgeoning riffs to the surprisingly melodic harmonies between guitarists Dylan Wallace and Nick Leslie, Ancient Thrones have definitely honed in on something special with this track.” – GearGods
“From earth crushing riffs and face-melting guitar solos to the overarching theme of grief and devastation that the record encompasses, this single really ramps up the intensity” – Bravewords
“Canadian band Ancient Thrones perform a combination of black, death and thrash metal with some progressive tendencies on The Veil. They have similarities to Skeletonwitch, but have an even more dynamic sound. The songs are both aggressive and intelligent in equal measure and run through a variety of different emotional tangents. There is a vile and harsh aspect to the band, but there is also a forward thinking one. It all results in a creative and dynamic listen.” – Heavy Music Headquarters (2020 – The Veil)
“The prize for most ambitious album of 2020 already has the name of Ancient Thrones carved in marble. Who among you fancies a 56-minute blackened death metal saga with an epic meditation on one man’s descent into the afterlife? No band thought it conceivable to write the metal version of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, but this Nova Scotia quartet are not just any band. This is a remarkable journey for the contemplative mind.” – Scream Blast Repeat (2020 – The Veil)
“The Sight of Oblivion and The Millionth Grave are steeped in ferociousness and savagery as only a band well versed in blackened death metal are capable of producing.8.5/10” – Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life (2020 – The Veil)
“With this new incarnation, Ancient Thrones has moved into strict Black/Death territory, producing an album filled with pummeling riffs, intricate song structures, and technical musicianship that’s leavened by atmospheric segments and epic, sometimes audacious melodies that border on Cascadian. The production matches this style perfectly, being heavy and abrasive while allowing the songs enough room to stretch out… fans of more epic and melodic Black/Death will want to give The Veil a listen. 4/5” – The Metal Crypt (2020 – The Veil)
“It is fast, thrashing extreme metal with shrieked/growled vocals, and a headbanging attitude. They have elements of thrash, black and death but their method of delivery won’t confuse anyone. It is metal to make the fans move. It is pretty thrashy, pretty brutal but also melodic, and the guitar work has plenty to offer both in the riffs and the melodies.” – Metal Bulletin (2020 – The Veil)
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