If it’s the end of the world as we know it, Ancient Warfare doesn’t feel fine
Ancient Warfare makes quietly intense music that grows out of a clash of conflicting sounds and emotions. On The Pale Horse, the band’s debut album, brittle acoustic guitars dance with wailing, distorted violin, thick primal bass lines and mu ed drums pounding out impenetrable rhythms. Lead singer and main songwriter Echo Wilcox delves into the pit of deep emotion, wailing like a banshee one moment and moaning like a lover wallowing in uncontained grief the next. Her commanding lyrics confront the personal, economical and ecological chaos that seems to be approaching.
“The idea of apocalypse was on my mind while creating the record,” says Wilcox. “Whether an apocalypse is small or large, it still exists. The world is constantly evolving, morphing and revealing itself. The songs are fragmented reactions to things around me, responses to specific moments in time and place, to love and loss, to a wondering mind and everything in between.”
The band’s sound is relentless; even its quiet moments are full of barely contained emotions. Its stage shows can be an overwhelming experience, both for the band and audience, with some people still surprised when they see that the primary players—guitarist Wilcox, violinist Rachael Yanarella and multi-instrumentalist Emily Hagihara—are women. (Bass player Derek Rhineheimer is the band’s lone male.)
“The unfortunate truth is that, even in 2015, girls doing the same things boys do continues to shock the public,” says Wilcox. “Women are doing the same jobs as men—on and off stage—but not receiving the same recognition and pay. People are surprised when they see a woman who is not only a band member, but a kick-ass musician as well, someone who can hold her weight and load her gear into the van. This is normal to me, but it’s still a shock to other people.”
—j. poet