Anciients - "Heart of Oak"

[kirksnosehair]

This album is absolutely breathtaking 


One reviewer referred to it as "Stoner technical death sludge folk prog"


On first listen I'd say it's like a hybrid of Opeth, Mastodon, Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd and Alice In Chains


It's been out since April 2013, but I just stumbled upon it at Amazon.com and took a chance on it based on the samples.


There are some growls here, but it's a bit like Opeth's more recent albums like "Watershed" as far as the ratio of clean/growl vocals.  And very much like Opeth, for me, in this case, the growling is tolerable because the music is so damned good. 


Samples on Amazon.com or you might be able to find a couple of tracks on YouTube.


Any fans here?

[Dr. DTVT]

Your seal of approval is all I require to investigate further.

[Dark Castle]

YESSSS, other people who enjoy this radular, amazing band! 

Definitely in my AotY list, and a band I'll be keeping a sharp focus on.

[lonestar]

So I hit my record store on a weekly basis and do blind purchases, based solely on what I see in reviews on my phone or just by vibes. This was one of my better finds, a killer album for sure.

[adace]

Awesome album

[countoftuscany42]

Saw these guys open this years Death To All show in philly, still haven't like up the album though. Great band 

[kirksnosehair]

I wish more bands that used coarse vocals would do it the way these guys do it.  I don't mind it when they switch back and forth, especially when it seems to have been very well-thought-out.   When it's just a straight-up wall of "aaaaahhhhrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - all the way through every song.... I turn it off.


Anyone who is like me - who doesn't like screaming/growling but "puts up with it" in the case of Opeth (I know there are others here who do this) needs to check out this album.  It's really very similar to Opeth in that regard.  A lot of musical similarities as well, without being a clone or a ripoff. 

[TAC]

Your seal of approval is all I require to investigate further.

[Scorpion]

Bump because awesomesauce. Everyone who likes progressive metal that isn't focused on wankery and isn't averse to harsh vocals in small doses should seriously give this one a spin.

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Scorpion introduced me to this band. Awesome

[yeshaberto]

I am listening now and really like it.  the growls are very fitting.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Some dude sent me one of their songs in a roulette, and it was pretty good.

[WebRaider]

One of my top albums from last year! Great band!

[jingle.boy]

Any nosehair recommendation has to be taken seriously.

Had a listen.  Liked it.  Not sure I was wow'd by it, but I'll give it another few spins to see.

[Scorpion]

So the new album is freaking fantastic. It's slowly but steadily climbing my 2016 rankings, and it might even have a chance of entering my Top 5, which is no easy task considering the enormous amounts of amazing music released this year. Initially, I thought that I liked Heart of Oak better, but this is definitely a grower and it shows how much their songwriting has matured from their debut. Ibex Eye, Buried in Sand and Worshipper are early favourites, but I love the whole thing.

[Train of Naught]

Ibex Eye and Buried in Sand are my favorites too! Great album so far, needs more listens but it's way better than Heart of Oak imo.

[twosuitsluke]

Listening now and definitely up my street. Total Opeth similarities (as already stated) which is welcome. I'll be sure to pick this up, really good on first listen 

[WebRaider]

Listening now and definitely up my street. Total Opeth similarities (as already stated) which is welcome. I'll be sure to pick this up, really good on first listen 

Lol... this is seriously the band I was gonna send this round in your roulette!

[twosuitsluke]

You snooze, you lose 

I did think this band would be prime roulette fodder, I've seen the name mentioned about so was aware of them. The good thing is, there's always another band