22nd April 2025

Review: “Next Of Sin” by Ancestral Sin

“People who haven’t heard us should expect a speedy kick in the face until the very last second” ~ Ancestral Sin

After an initial run between 1989 and 1996 that saw that saw a couple of demos, extended plays and splits unveiled a near twenty two year long hiatus may have convinced some that Ancestral Sin may never return. However in 2018 vocalist Jacob “Jake” Hanenburg, guitarist Klaas Jansma and bassist Shantia Fardin got back in a rehearsal space and soon found drummer Wiebe “Ragnar” Otten (My Minds Mine, Inhume) to complete the line up. That lead to a run of singles before the Leeuwarden Holland based Thrash infused Hardcore band delivered album “Social Hate Speech“. As if the title didn’t make it obvious, the band are socially aware and politically charged with aggression levels that spill over into breakneck speed tempos and abrasive riffs leading to a sound they describe as hypercharged havoc. This time out, “Next Of Sin” refers to the endless failure of mankind to improve itself as a race, both socially and economically, the songs touching on topics ranging from social imbalance to the dire outcome of war…

Flying out of the gate like s*** off a shovel, opening cut “Next Of Sin” borders on Grindcore with a 74 second running time and artillery shelling percussive battery leading the way. Taking their foot off the discerning listeners throat for a few seconds in the mid section before putting the medal to the metal once more, the chaotic track is a knuckleduster armed punch in the face that just keeps coming. The same can be said of “Vulgar Display of Wealth“, a cut which uses a classic film quote introduction to set the tone before driving the nails into the coffin with Hardcore Punk riffs and bass bleed throughs. Another punchy, restless and relentless tune with nails on a chalk board shrill vocals it has plenty of bark and bite while the four piece leave a pile of bodies in those who would cross them in their wake. Giving you all you need to know about the lyrics in the title “Hardcore Woke Cop“, for this one the band take a play as fast as you can without derailing the train approach to their sonic abrasions. The result is a savage beating with influences from the American underground scene that offers more thrills and spills than a high speed car chase after ten too many beers. At points its utter bedlam and that’s what makes it so damn good, Ancestral Sin having one speed and making every second count. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater “Whistleblower” will leave you breathless, the angle grinder to the skull intensity of it making you wonder just what you’ve done to deserve such punishment [7.5/10]

Track Listing