The Yellow Sign - Ancient

The Yellow Sign - Ancient

Ancient is The Yellow Sign’s Third and final release. Although it says it is a CD this is actually an EP because it only has 5 tracks so it is not full length. This EP is of the Deathcore genre and was self released. This EP is not the heaviest or brutal out there, it focuses more on melody.  Some may even consider this type of Deathcore atmospheric.

This EP is not bad to start with. These guys focus on melody rather than how fast they can double kick or how high pitched the lead singer can Scream or growl. There is actually not much to say about this album. The only thing that really stands out is the atmosphere this EP has when you listen to this release. Its easy to tell there is an atmosphere in this EP. Firstly they don’t make the vocals stand out they let the music take the lead. Also in the music its self. The melodies in this EP give you a different feeling than if you were listening to something from Suicide Silence.  Also they use the type of breakdowns you get that sound drone on for a little rather than short bursts. This is what you get with very very heavy distortion in the guitars. Also the lead vocalists prefers to growl really deep rather than screaming high, he does do some high pitched screams but they aren’t really that high. Usually high pitches are associated with energy (in Deathcore) but growls are better to create atmosphere. At times there are parts where it gets fast but they don’t maintain that speed for very long. Also some of the riffs they use sound like stuff from Death Metal Bands such as Disfiguring The Goddess. They drums also sound similar, but it has a Deathcore structure. This EP as I mentioned before is more atmospheric and sounds fairly sad.

This EP is very atmospheric compared to some other Deathcore bands out there. All of the tracks on this EP have that droning sound from the guitars throughout most of the Tracks. The tracks Juggernaut, Ancient and Silence feature this, these tracks sound very similar and remind me of some Brutal Death Metal bands. Apart from all the drone sounds there are some parts where it does sound a little more upbeat. They stop the droning and maintain a high pitch echoish sound with the guitars. Most Of The Tracks on this album do this but the one that stands out the most is the track Ancient. This song is kind of special because it features all of things that makes this album in one. It has both drone and high pitched sounds also the downbeat and upbeat atmospheres. Also Ancient can get fairly fast paced at times. It is probably the standout track in the EP. Also This EP features a track called Carcosa, It is a musical and is probably one of best musicals I have ever heard. It starts of nice and calm (It may sound a bit sad )then it goes into one of the best musical pieces I have heard in a long time. Carcosa is actually one musical that is actually worth listening to and listening to again.

Although this is a pretty good EP there are some issues with it that some listeners may find annoying. Firstly the number of tracks, there are only 5 tracks on this whole EP. I have no clue why they put this as an Album because it is way too short. Even for an EP it’s a little too short, most EPs have an average of around 8 tracks so this has way less bang for your buck. Also this may not appeal to many listeners. There is not much variety in this EP for a wide audience, there is nothing overly aggressive which is what many Deathcore fans actually want. They don’t usually like the atmospheric stuff. Also I think that the droning is over used and the whole EP sounds fairly plain because of the number of times they use this. Also they vocals are really the best, there are many times you can hear the vocalists growls die out a little and it just sounds like really ugly clean vocals. Also he tends to over use that same repetitive growl over and over again.

Overall This EP is not bad, but work can be done on it. This EP would have made or broke them, unfortunately this EP broke them and now they aren’t together. It is a shame that they broke up because there was so much potential for them. There was also massive potential to improve this album. I guess they made this release short because if it was any longer it would have been just too repetitive. Also there is still some work to be done. This EP displays some great tunes for the easy listeners. Most of the tracks sound sad and emotional, and Carcosa is one of the best musicals I have heard. I recommend the Track Ancient because it is the standout track in this EP because it displays what this EP is all about and wraps it in a nice little package. I also recommend the musical Carcosa because it is really worth listening to. I would also like to recommend this to anyone who likes the softer side of Deathcore or softer death metal. Overall this EP is ok but there are changes to be made, but they have broken up and I don’t see them returning. I give Ancient a 15/20.