Artist: Ancient
Label: Brutal Planet Records
UPC: 732131699081
Genre: Black Metal
Release Date: 11/2026

CD IS AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER AND WILL SHIP BEFORE RELEASE DATE OF NOVEMBER 6, 2026! IF YOU ORDER THIS AND OTHER ITEMS IN 1 ORDER, EVERYTHING WILL SHIP TOGETHER. PLEASE PLACE SEPARATE ORDERS TO AVOID SHIPPING DELAYS ON IN-STOCK ITEMS.

Originally released by Metal Blade Records in 1997, Ancient's Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends remains one of the most distinctive, adventurous, and controversial albums in the Norwegian band's catalog. The band's third full-length pushed beyond the boundaries of its earlier black metal sound into a darker and increasingly theatrical world of gothic atmosphere, melody, experimentation, and vampiric imagery.

The album features Aphazel on guitars, bass, and keyboards; Kaiaphas on male vocals, drums, and percussion; multi-instrumentalist Jesus Christ! on guitars, bass, keyboards, cello, and piano; and Erichte on female vocals. That expanded musical palette allowed Ancient to move between aggressive extreme metal, atmospheric keyboards, male/female vocal interplay, piano, cello, and haunting melodic passages.

Nearly three decades later, this new Brutal Planet Records edition gives fans something especially valuable: brand-new retrospective liner notes from both Aphazel and Kaiaphas, offering two firsthand perspectives on the making and legacy of Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends.

Aphazel takes readers back to the 1997 sessions at Cue Recording Studios in Virginia. His memories include the unusual atmosphere surrounding the sessions and cemetery photo shoots, the pressure surrounding the original mixing and mastering, and the band's disappointment with aspects of the finished sound. Looking back decades later, he reflects on how remarkable it is that an album the band once viewed with complicated feelings has endured and become so highly regarded by many Ancient fans.

Kaiaphas approaches the story from another angle. He recalls the fascination with vampire lore and imagery that helped shape the record, while explaining that Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends was far more of a collaborative band effort than its predecessor, The Cainian Chronicle. Songs were developed together during rehearsals, ideas came from throughout the lineup, and Ancient deliberately pushed into new musical territory.

Kaiaphas also looks back on the album's unusual journey after its release. What began as a divisive and experimental step for Ancient gradually developed a devoted following, with listeners embracing its gothic atmosphere, variety, unconventional arrangements, and willingness to push the boundaries of the band's established sound.

That adventurous spirit runs through all 14 tracks. “A Mad Blood Scenario,” “The Draining,” “Sleeping Princess Of The Arges,” “Her Northern Majesty,” “Blackeyes,” “The Emerald Tablet,” “Willothewisp,” “Hecate, My Love And Lust,” and “Vampirize Natasha” move through wildly different corners of Ancient's dark musical world before the album concludes with a cover of the Mercyful Fate classic “Black Funeral.”

For this Brutal Planet Records Metal Icon Series edition, Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends has been remastered by Rob Colwell and packaged in a jewel case with an extensive 16-page booklet designed by Scott Waters of NoLifeTilMetal.

The booklet is loaded with the complete lyrics and credits, archival band photography, vintage images presented throughout the layout, a massive center-spread photo collage, and—most importantly—the new 2026 reflections from both Aphazel and Kaiaphas. These aren't generic liner notes: they are two members of the classic lineup telling the story of the album from their own perspectives nearly 30 years later.

Limited to only 300 copies, this is a true archival CD edition of one of Ancient's most fascinating Metal Blade-era releases.