Suspended in Ancestors' Reflection
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Ancestors‘ new album Suspended in Reflections feels so good that you have to wonder if it’s killing you. The album, Ancestors’ fourth (and first in six years), represents a massive evolution for the Los Angeles group. While it retains the blend of psychedelia and doom metal force that defined their previous work, Suspended in Reflections elevates that mixture beyond a heady curiosity and into the transcendent. Take a listen to an exclusive full stream of the album below.
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Suspended In Reflections hinges on a refrain that spans the album’s first two tracks. Against a lush background of glacially slow guitars and organ, singer Justin Maranga describes slipping out of life in almost glowing terms: “And it feels like moving on/and it feels like nothing’s wrong anymore.” This contrast, between intense melancholy and relief, could double as a description of the album itself. Where the band formerly used organ and heavy distortion to emulate the druggy sounds of classic rock, Suspended in Reflections uses those tools to craft a temporary heaven. At times, specifically on “Through a Window” and its b-side mirror “Release,” Ancestors sound like they are using doom metal as a medium for lullabies. The difference is that they aren’t lulling you into sleep, but into sleep’s older and more permanent cousin.
Although the album is new territory for Ancestors, you can hear traces of older post-rock and post-metal acts creeping in. The band’s newfound interest in orchestral arrangements recalls Mono’s late period, and the sedated approach to vocal harmonies would feel right at home on Jesu’s Silver. Where Ancestors differ from their predecessors is in their synthesis of these elements, resulting in an album that resists sentimentality or melodrama. By standing the shoulders of giants, and by refusing to rest on their own accomplishments, Ancestors have pushed post-metal into its next phase.
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Suspended in Reflections releases on August 24th via Pelagic. Follow Ancestors on Facebook.
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Here’s what the band has to say about the album:
It’s been a long journey from the last album to here, for those that have been waiting for it we commend your patience and thank you for your support. We’re thrilled to finally be able to share the album in its entirety, which is altogether elevated experience to hearing the individual songs (or so we think).
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