The band was originally formed in December 1995 as Permafrost. Initially, the music was inspired by extreme metal such as Dissection, Unanimated, Darkthrone and Wolves. The band changed its name to Ancestral Legacy in 1999 and became more symphonic.

The band released two demos, one self-titled in 2000 and Emptiness in 2002. Two of the members left and Eddie Risdal (vocalist / guitarist in V: 28 as well) gathered new members. The demo Of Magic Illusions and the promo Goodbye Reality came in 2003 and 2004 respectively. The former was re-released in 2005 with four bonus tracks by the Russian label Magik Art.

In February of the same year, the band played two concerts in the city: Larm in Stavanger, together with, among others, Theater Of Tragedy, Sirenia and Mortiis. A music video for the song “Crash Of Silence” was shown on NRK2’s Metal Svisj video jukebox in the autumn of 2005.

In 2007, 14 songs were recorded for an upcoming album, Nightmare Diaries. The songs were mixed in January 2008 by Knut Magne Valle at his studio. In April, the EP Trapped Within the Words was released by the band itself. The album Nightmare Diaries was released in the winter of 2010 on the British company Femme Metal Records.

A double compilation CD released by the American record company ‘Sirenette’ in the summer of 2008 has with Ancestral Legacy’s song “Chosen Destiny” from the upcoming album. Other bands on the release include After Forever and Epica. In the winter and spring of 2012, the band will record songs for an upcoming album, scheduled for release in 2012.

In September 2014, the band released their third studio album entitled ‘Terminal’, featuring Mexican singer Isadora Cortina.