REVIEW: Ancient Rivalry - WHAT LIVES BENEATH

The old-school death metallers in ANCIENT RIVALRY are ready to unleash hell on their debut LP WHAT LIVES BENEATH. Having relocated to Nottingham since forming in London five years ago, the five-piece have developed a reputation for groove-laden death metal that harks back to the 90’s, and they very much back themselves up on a record that screams for bloody gore.

Opening on the title track, it’s obvious that their reputation is by no means overstated or undeserved - there’s dirt and bodily fluids leaking out of the speakers already, and if you look carefully there’s probably a couple of teeth caught in somebody’s pick guard. Next up comes ALTARS OF THE DAMNED, another raging piece of brutality carved from concrete and flesh. The guitar lines are particularly evil in this one and are well worth digging into, although you’ll still find plenty of suitably nasty riffs all across the LP.

ROTTED CROWN and DROWNED IN HUMAN FILTH follow up in a devastating one-two punch, raining blood and guts down onto the ears of the unprepared and funnelling ludicrous drum lines into place, underneath dizzyingly sinister solos and vocals that you’d struggle to understand even with the lyric sheet in hand. Pay particularly close attention to the end of the latter for a prime example of the kind of music that could be played over the top of the invasion of Hell’s demons at the end of times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxNsLEGbdnw

Marking the beginning of Side B is SIEGE ETERNAL, a track that shows the power of nominative determinism - that being the idea that a name can cause a person (or in this case, a song) to gravitate towards a path that fits that name. This track feels very much like the listeners’ ears are being besieged, and quite frankly it would not be a surprise if the band could keep that up for a very hefty length of time. This track rips.

SANCTIFIED EXECUTION has the gnarliest intro this writer has heard in a very long time, with one of the scummiest bass tones in recent memory. It would be an offence to not listen to this track. All the qualities of an artillery bombardment can be found here with the singular exception of actual explosives, somehow almost topping the previous song for relentless aggression and pure, barbaric heaviness. There’s no rest for the dying on penultimate track HUNGER OF THE DEAD, as shrieks of anguish blend into the all-encompassing punishment that is the sound of ANCIENT RIVALRY enjoying themselves immensely.

Finale BREATHLESS DOMINION throws a little curveball by slowing down a touch at points, marking it prime territory for any circle pits that may be created in the vicinity. Deciding to walk down the path of incredibly ominous, sparsely populated guitar solos, it finishes up the release in suitably evil style and fades out just before your brain explodes and runs out of your ears.

If you like unrelenting 90’s death metal, go and listen to this album. If you like stupidly heavy death metal, go and listen to this album. If you like any form of extreme metal, go and listen to this album. If you don’t fall into any of the above categories, listen to it anyway because it’s bloody good fun and is only a bit over half an hour. There’s crazy dive bombs, pick scrapes, mind-boggling solos and riffs, drum lines that would have even the most competent of drummers working up a sweat, vocals that might not actually be human, and much much more, all wrapped up in a lovely blood red bow. Go and listen to this album.

Score: 8/10

WHAT LIVES BENEATH will be released on 6th June 2026.

Words: Jasmine Longhurst

Photos: Ancient Rivalry