“Recorded by The Norman Conquest in the fall of 2009, this was the first time that Barn Owl were able to take their time in a professional studio, fine tuning and honing the pieces over the span of a couple months. The majority of the tracks were recorded live to tape and were a mix of composed and improvised elements. The near limitless options, as far as equipment and microphones were concerned, allowed the band to shape and refine the definition of the Barn Owl sound. The extra time in the studio also allowed for other textural embellishments. Marielle Jakobsons (of Darwinsbitch, Date Palms, Myrmyr) contributed violin to “Flatlands” and “Awakening” which gave the two pieces a heavier Americana vibe and really enriched the sonic palette. The Norman Conquest lent vocals to several tracks and also played modular synth through a Marshall half-stack that added a nice low end to the title track. On “Incantation”, an ensemble that Caminiti and Porras are members of called Portraits, played gong, bells, singing bowls, and other percussive metals which really lends to the ritualistic feeling of the piece. At the very least, there are 10 people playing on the track. Ancestral Star also acts as the first album in which bowed guitar is heavily explored.”

UPDATE!  Buy the album on iTunes here.

Based in Oakland, California, Dokuro are visual artist/composer Agnes Szelag and the magnificently nomenclatured The Norman Conquest. They include the word “pop” in their self-definition, which is a little like Sunn 0))) locating a Country & Western element somewhere in their music. This is extremist fare that blasts away the earwax without leaving you feeling pointlessly bludgeoned. On “The Ghost Goes West”, clouds of generated electricity belch blackly, then are discreetly sculpted. “Shadow of the Cat” is sheer catastrophe, all earthquake and Grindcore, its rotorblade still whirring long after the helicopter has crashed and burned. Finally, with “October Moon” a calm descends and dawn breaks over a charred landscape quiet but for the sporadic noises of afterburn.