1. The Grand Conspiracy
2. Chastisement
3. Black Mass Exorcism
4. Midnight Symphony
A night of diverse sounds was crowned with the regal mysticism of Ancient Spirit. Incredibly, the band has been around since handover, but singer Cecelia was a relatively recent addition to the line-up. The Grand Conspiracy gave way to gothic cliché with creepy fairground organs from keyboard plater Tony Wong. With Cecelia’s swishing lace robe and Amy Lee vocals, the band hammed up the Halloween vibes. Things took an interesting and unexpected turn when Kenny twinned his galloping guitar with low, Mongolian-style folk chanting – his weather-beaten snarl against her ethereal opera.
Cecelia elevated her voice beyond goth rock songstress on Chastisement. The song began with Middle Eastern wails before smashing drums and heavy down riffing joined in the dark mix. Wong’s bell chime keys twinkled ominously alongside the singer’s sharp yelps. It was mesmeric, transporting and easily the performance of the night. Drummer Bruce Lau brought out a djembe for a raw, rhythmic close.
It was the first time Ancient Spirit had played Black Mass Exorcism live. A strong, heavy melody rode atop soaring operatic vocals over staccato riffing and eerie piano arpeggios. Kenny’s voice grew into a coarse growl amid slowly beating bass, choral keys and a snapping snare.
Final song Midnight Symphony consisted of spoken lines before a djembe and bass rhythm kicked in for an early music vibe. This cast a ghostly spell before the drums suddenly snapped and both guitars kicked in, galloping over the plains and cementing a set of awesome power. Ancient Spirit put on a spell-binding, skin-tingling show, and we can’t wait to see them play The Underground again – next time with a longer set.
– El Jay
Heavy 17當晚最後一隊表演嘅樂隊係古幽靈（Ancient Spirit）。呢隊六人組合嘅出現令到氣氛立即嚴肅起黎，表演時歌與歌之間一言不發，主音Cecilia打扮悉心，身穿黑色長裙，猶如出席一場喪禮。
古幽靈風格可以描述為Nightwish等哥德類型金屬，但亦受到progressive rock、甚至古典音樂影響，每首歌都編得十分豐滿。喺第一首歌「The Grand Conspiracy」率先出場嘅就係壯重嘅電子琴弦樂，女主音嘅幽靈式呼叫，同埋男結他手嘅吶喊。主音Cecilia其實非常有技巧，唱第二首歌「Chastisement」以及第三首歌「Black Mass Exorcism」時，佢聲線不斷飄動，令人聯想起Cocteau Twins嘅Elizabeth Fraser。雖然當晚嘅表演比較短，但係觀眾似睇咗一場電影，古幽靈嘅每一首歌都彷彿有背景故事。
– Elson Tong
