Anciients - 10 Years Of Voice Of The Void

After winning a JUNO in 2016, Anciients were officially anointed as the guiding lights for progressive metal. However, keeping their momentum rocking and rolling proved to be no easy feat. The road was threatened by many shadowy twists and turns, but after eight years of hermetic silence, Anciients have returned with a new lineup and a new album that now stands as their heaviest, headiest and most heartfelt offering. 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: ‘Beyond the Reach of the Sun’.

Fans who’ve waited on bended knee for more fretboard heroics will not be disappointed by Beyond the Reach of the Sun. Lead single “Melt the Crown” fires off not one, not two, but three guitar solos. Each one comes with its own unique flavor, too, spanning from plaintive folk to southern blues and psychedelic prog. Conceptually, the album is just as heavy. It tells the story of a society that’s enslaved by forces from another dimension. But at its core, Beyond the Reach of the Sun is about perseverance. Just as the enslaved discover spiritual knowledge by way of a cosmic entity, writing these songs also lead the band to uncover new wellsprings of inspiration.

On Beyond the Reach of the Sun, Anciients climb to the summit of progressive metal.

anciients.net

Tribunal returns with their sophomore album, ‘In Penitence and Ruin’, an elegy most grievous and forlorn, descending deeper into the solemn abyss of woe. 2023’s debut ‘The Weight of Remembrance’ set a high bar for the Canadians becoming one of the year’s most notable and praised Doom releases, leading Decibel Mag to include the band’s new album in their annual list of most anticipated releases. Tribunal have taken their time and crafted an opus of enormous scope to echo evermore through halls long abandoned.

20buckspin.bandcamp.com

Featuring Shane Clark and Matt Wood, former members of Canadian rock royalty Pride Tiger and 3 Inches of Blood, Worse is bound to be your next heavy-as-hell obsession. There are flecks of various metal subgenres here and there, but the band's true strength is the ability to blister with just relentless riffs, hammering drums and raw howls.

worseband.bandcamp.com

FRANKLIN is the melodic, sludgy, tension-building riff-machine your nightmares have been waiting for. Hailing from the isolated north in Whitehorse YT, this two-piece metal-menace born in the pits of a world pandemic features Kirsty Wells (Whitehorse YT) and Evan Joel (Vancouver BC). While Kirsty screams hauntingly harsh vocals and slams the fuzz and distortion-fuelled bass, Evan backs with raspy support vocals and drums hit hard enough to make ears bleed. FRANKLIN reflects the under-sung desolation, mania, and limitlessness typical of the vast north, and is currently the only femme-fronted metal project in the Yukon.

Dubbed “gateway metal” by listeners, the duo spent 2025 sharpening their teeth with a storm of festivals and tour dates throughout the year, as well as four slow-burning but gnawing singles, a fiery music video, and a three-part live-off-the floor series. In 2026, the FRANKLIN expects to push themselves even further.

Their first European showcase at Viva Sounds festival in Gothenburg, SE prompted international press coverage, and a new fan base in the Nordic region.

FRANKLIN’s highly-anticipated full-length debut album “decay” premiers January 31st, 2026. Vinyl and limited edition album merch, multiple show dates (including an album release party featuring a slew of guest appearances), and a video release of their live performance at the Palace Grand Theatre during Dawson City Music festival can be expected for early 2026.

franklintheband.com

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