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"Ancestral” is the towering, monolithic centerpiece of Steven Wilson’s 2015 album Hand. Cannot. Erase. It is a near-14-minute opus that embodies the emotional, musical, and conceptual climax of the album. It’s a sprawling meditation on memory, trauma, and the invisible threads that tether us to the past, delivered through a breathtaking synthesis of progressive rock, post-rock, metal, and orchestral music.
Musically, “Ancestral” is one of Wilson’s most ambitious and genre-defying compositions. It begins with delicate flute and piano, evoking a sense of fragile reflection. But this serenity doesn’t last. The song evolves constantly, shifting through lush cinematic passages, aggressive djent-inspired riffs, and eerie ambient interludes. Gavin Harrison’s drumming is especially vital here - fluid and expressive in the quieter moments, thunderous and precise during the track’s crushing midsection. His performance turns the complex time signatures and rhythmic variations into a living, breathing pulse. That said, Guthrie Govan's guitar solo is simply out of this world.
Ninet Tayeb once again lends her voice - this time in ghostly, wordless harmonies that hover like a presence from the subconscious, adding a spectral texture to the soundscape. Steven Wilson’s lead vocals are restrained and intimate, narrating a story that feels both personal and archetypal: “Come back if you want to / And remember who you were.” The lyrics are spare but evocative, touching on themes of identity, psychological fragmentation, and the pull of forgotten lineage.
Lyrically and thematically, “Ancestral” seems to delve into the roots of trauma: the inherited and internalized pain that shapes a person’s psyche. In the context of Hand. Cannot. Erase. (an album that charts the emotional disintegration and disappearance of its central character), this track feels like the moment she descends fully into the recesses of her own history. The song’s title is fitting: it’s not just about personal grief, but about the legacy of loss that runs through generations.
The second half of the song demonstrates a great dynamic contrast. Wilson builds an instrumental crescendo that moves from glacial beauty to volcanic intensity, unleashing one of his heaviest and most cathartic climaxes. But it’s not indulgent - it’s precise, earned, and emotionally resonant. The final moments dissolve into a haunting, ambient outro, leaving the listener adrift and haunted.
“Ancestral” is not just a highlight of Hand. Cannot. Erase., but one of the defining pieces of Steven Wilson’s solo career. It encapsulates everything that makes him such a singular force in modern progressive music: emotional depth, compositional daring, sonic richness, and a fearless engagement with psychological themes.
Listening to “Ancestral” is like undergoing a guided descent into a buried memory - beautiful, terrifying, and transformative.
Musically, “Ancestral” is one of Wilson’s most ambitious and genre-defying compositions. It begins with delicate flute and piano, evoking a sense of fragile reflection. But this serenity doesn’t last. The song evolves constantly, shifting through lush cinematic passages, aggressive djent-inspired riffs, and eerie ambient interludes. Gavin Harrison’s drumming is especially vital here - fluid and expressive in the quieter moments, thunderous and precise during the track’s crushing midsection. His performance turns the complex time signatures and rhythmic variations into a living, breathing pulse. That said, Guthrie Govan's guitar solo is simply out of this world.
Ninet Tayeb once again lends her voice - this time in ghostly, wordless harmonies that hover like a presence from the subconscious, adding a spectral texture to the soundscape. Steven Wilson’s lead vocals are restrained and intimate, narrating a story that feels both personal and archetypal: “Come back if you want to / And remember who you were.” The lyrics are spare but evocative, touching on themes of identity, psychological fragmentation, and the pull of forgotten lineage.
Lyrically and thematically, “Ancestral” seems to delve into the roots of trauma: the inherited and internalized pain that shapes a person’s psyche. In the context of Hand. Cannot. Erase. (an album that charts the emotional disintegration and disappearance of its central character), this track feels like the moment she descends fully into the recesses of her own history. The song’s title is fitting: it’s not just about personal grief, but about the legacy of loss that runs through generations.
The second half of the song demonstrates a great dynamic contrast. Wilson builds an instrumental crescendo that moves from glacial beauty to volcanic intensity, unleashing one of his heaviest and most cathartic climaxes. But it’s not indulgent - it’s precise, earned, and emotionally resonant. The final moments dissolve into a haunting, ambient outro, leaving the listener adrift and haunted.
“Ancestral” is not just a highlight of Hand. Cannot. Erase., but one of the defining pieces of Steven Wilson’s solo career. It encapsulates everything that makes him such a singular force in modern progressive music: emotional depth, compositional daring, sonic richness, and a fearless engagement with psychological themes.
Listening to “Ancestral” is like undergoing a guided descent into a buried memory - beautiful, terrifying, and transformative.