UMUR
"Neptune with Fire" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Los Angeles, California based stoner metal act Ancestors. The album was released through North Atlantic Sound in February 2008.
The music on the album is predominantly instrumental/jamming stoner metal. There are vocals featured on the album (and some pretty great ones I might add) but the music is mostly instrumental. "Neptune with Fire" features only two tracks, but both tracks are more than 15 minutes long to make the album´s playing time 38:40 minutes. In addition to guitars, bass, drums and vocals there are two keyboard players in the lineup playing organ, various keyboards and electronics. It´s all very tastefully delivered and the album features a very organic sound and a pleasant earthy atmosphere. Because of the very long playing times, the two songs have a lot of time to develop, but while both tracks go through a couple of transitions during the playing time, there are actually very few sections in each song. Most sections go on for a long time, while solos are being played. So if you enjoy laid back and pleasant sounding jamming stoner metal "Neptune with Fire" is definitely recommendable.
Upon conclusion "Neptune with Fire" is a pretty strong release with great musicianship and a warm organic production, but the songwriting could have been a bit more focused if you ask me. My attention has a tendency to wander when the solos (which are well played but not flashy or especially adventurous) just go on and on and on. Fans of the genre might appreciate the jamming element more than I do though. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.