Ancestors - Of Sound Mind (Tee Pee Records)

Progressive Metal/Rock is very hit or miss with me and Ancestor's second full-length album entitled, 'Of Sound Mind', definitely falls into the former category.  Using a perfect mixture of keyboards, riffs, and varied tempos, this album, is a Prog Metal gem.  Ancestors are much more than your standard Progressive Metal band though, as I can think of at least 5 of other musical genres at play in this album.  Extra points for showing some serious classical piano skills on a couple tracks as well.
Fav Track: 'Bounty of Age', 'Mother Animal', & 'Challenging' (Challenging is a classical piano piece!)

My Rating: 8.5 / 10

Cream Abdul Babar - Catalyst to Ruins (At a Loss Recordings)

Released in 2002, Catalyst to Ruins is the second full length album from the Metal/Punk/Noise-Rock band, Cream Abdul Babar.  I first heard CAB while listening to a fellow blogger's radio station (Grip of Delusion Radio) which plays a really nice mix of underground metal/punk music.  The band that instantly came to mind when I first heard CAB was Butthole Surfers (another awesome band) and after listening to an entire album I think that is a fair comparison minus the occassional semi-pop song.  I mean the band's name alone demands you at least check em out!  Fav tracks are, 'E is for Intelligent' and 'Blow Goat'. 

My Rating: 7 / 10