(Tee Pee)

Progalicious

LA five-piece Ancestors make slow-burning, elongated prog-metal. At times they do it pretty well. Unfortunately this album, even by prog standards, is too big and cumbersome to enjoy with any consistency. At 70 minutes, with four of its eight tracks coming in at 13 minutes-plus, Of Sound Mind is a big ask. It’s not the length I object to, just that they don’t do a whole lot with it. Where Mastodon or The Mars Volta operate within tight structures on their own labyrinthine efforts, Ancestors spread out and meander. Sometimes this works for them, when they dwell on a good riff or find a knot of tension between guitar and organs, but more often than not their use of space is at best inefficient, at worst boring. Justin Maranga’s vocals are the weak link, and all the best moments occur when he’s not singing, like the rather beautiful instrumental Challenging or the bubbling electronic ambience that introduces The Trial. There is some talent in Ancestors, but Of Sound Mind obscures it instead of amplifying it.

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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