Ancestors

L.A.'s fittingly titled Ancestors draw upon a wide array of established hard rock and heavy metal traditions, spanning the ancient heaviness of Black Sabbath, the cosmic explorations of Hawkwind, and the forward-thinking structures of King Crimson. These foundations receive further infusions from stoner, Kraut, psych-rock, and related approaches, yielding expansive musical suites rather than standard short tracks. Following the group's formation in 2006, Justin Maranga (guitar, vocals), Nick Long (bass, vocals), Chico Foley (electronics, vocals), J. Christopher Watkins (organ, vocals), and Brandon Pierce (drums and gong) devoted extended time to testing these components through rehearsals and live performances before committing their debut album, Neptune with Fire, to tape, an effort containing only two lengthy pieces, one per side of the vinyl release.