II

Mark McCoy's enigmatic feedback drenched and punk ridden black metal project Ancestors strikes back with just over eleven minutes of harsher-than-thou music. For those of you unaccustomed to Mark McCoy he's the dude behind Youth Attack Records, Charles Bronson, Das Oath, etc and has more of a punk grounding when it comes to music (I even hear he's moved into visual art too, nowadays). That said, none of this is included in the Ancestors package. Info is rare and hard to come by for this band, owning the actual EP offers no help, except for eerie, but ultimately nice packaging and a thick white disc that appreciates the value.

Ancestor's style is defiantly an acquired taste. The guitar unleashes a fury of feedback and static throughout the whole record playing what sounds like sped up punk riffs. The frantic howls and drums are set against a permanent wash of static that weaves in and out of the music. While the production sounds like it's piss poor, it's obviously intentional and trying to capture that vibe that made the LLN so special (or horrible). Walking that line between punk and black metal like his American contemporaries Bone Awl, Ancestors strays from the stagnate and hypnotic virtues that seems to be Bone Awl's game and offers plenty of variation within each song.

In all honesty, each song sounds pretty spontaneous and like some sort of self satisfaction for Mr. McCoy. The songs are enjoyable, but they don't carry the feeling that serious and long term thought were put into them. If not listening too closely, the two songs can feel like many more shorter songs simply smashed or segmented together. Overall the music is harsh and bombastic, but there are instances of melody and some sense of relief (around the end of the second track is a good example). But be ready for high energy, loud, and painful as hell music.

I like this EP, and Ancestors is certainly gaining popularity in the underground, just try to find the first EP for a fair price. A cool direction to take black metal in, and a very cool and mysterious vibe to put out. Hopefully a more cohesive full length is in the works.

Originally written for http://chainsawjustice.blogspot.com/