Ancestors - Of Sound Mind

Album Review by Mark Shukla | 23 Sep 2009
Album title: Of Sound Mind
Artist: Ancestors
Label: Tee Pee
Release date: 19 Oct

Sporting a press release that compares their experimentalism to that of Peter Brötzmann and Miles Davis whilst equating their musical 'thought crusade' to the work of Albert Camus (honestly), it's safe to say this LA quintet don't have any issues with self-esteem. In reality Ancestors aren't even progressive by the standards of stoner rock. Building on the stoner template of down-tempo monolithic riffs, they bulk out the mix with synths, organs and some satisfyingly epic guitar solos. Judicious use of reverb and delay gives the songs room to breathe whilst the numerous tempo changes combine with a fantastic lead guitar tone to create a heavy grooving sound that is spacey despite having its roots planted firmly in cathartic blues playing. Nothing exceptional then, but an impressive, heavy record from a band who sound capable of great things in the future.

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