ALBUM REVIEW: Ritual Of Ash – Ashen
Perth’s ASHEN may only be in their infancy as an act, but these Australian death metallers have already managed to make some significant waves. Their debut EP Godless Oath established the band’s trademark punchy death metal sound with a varied mix of influences from within the genre, resulting in a record that had one foot firmly planted within classic death metal without straying into the realms of weak imitation. Now, just shy of a year and half removed from that release comes the band’s first album, Ritual Of Ash – a record that builds quite solidly upon the foundations laid by the EP that preceded it, throwing some interesting musical twists into the fray as they do it.
The album has an incredibly strong start in Ritual, a dense, rhythmic beast of a track, with the chunkier guitar sound, throaty gutturals and authoritative drums all combining to make a huge, impressive sound right off the bat. Musically, it’s certainly taking its cues from old school death metal, but it applies a more polished and crisp sound to it to provide a modern take on a classic style. Deadsight is a decidedly faster and more ferocious affair, with sharp, angular guitar work, frenetic drums and far more belligerent vocals. The livelier approach to the guitars serves this song well, injecting lots of caustic riffs into it and making everything sound all the more aggressive.
Both of the following offerings, Harbinger and Threshold, lean prominently into the epic touches that have been hinted at on the first two tracks, making for a significant shift that works extremely well. Although each track is still bestial for the most part, the slower passages and more melodic hooks and weighty basslines distinguish these particular numbers from the preceding tracks, tinging the music with a doom-laden, melancholic edge that draws the listener in and proves that there’s more of an emotive range to this band’s music. Blood – another mid-paced, meaty slab of death metal with a domineering, galloping rhythm, an eclectic and immersive vocal delivery and biting leads – has a solid groove to it that transforms it into a catchier piece of music than many death metal tracks of this tempo tend to be.
Cursed Rebirth is another stand out track, with its darker, brooding guitars and powerful melodic death metal sound making it instantly memorable. It sounds like a bleaker, more powerful AMON AMARTH at points, blending melody with a confident swagger and visceral, snarling vocals for one of the most powerful offerings on the whole album. Embrace Existence gathers momentum as it progresses, starting out as a slower track before suddenly morphing into a fast and intense one characterised by thick leads, juggernaut drumming and vocals that lurch between muscular growls and acidic howls with ease. It’s a diverse and adventurous sound.
Gravemind again blends the morose edge that informed songs like Cursed Rebirth and applies it to a more classic death metal formula, with the rumbling bass, cutting guitar hooks and monstrous vocals all contributing to a monolithic sound that grabs the listener’s attention whilst simultaneously providing a cavernous undercurrent to a tried and tested style of extreme metal. Buried In Ice introduces subtle electronic elements into the track’s opening moments, peppering the tight melodeath that makes up most of this song’s sound with a slight industrial flourish that works really well, without distracting from the core of the music. It’s an intriguing addition that, if utilised a little earlier on the record, could have added a new and fresh dynamic to the album’s sound rather than to just one track. Inhuman is a solid if somewhat anti-climactic end to the record, coupling tight rhythms with dense gutturals and chunky leads. If it had featured earlier, it would have worked quite well, but it ultimately lacks the dramatic sound that could have helped close this album on a high note.
It would be easy, at least upon a cursory listen, to view Ritual Of Ash as yet another modern take upon an old school death metal writing style, albeit done exceptionally well. But to pigeonhole this record as “just another OSDM” type of album would be dismissive of the subtler qualities on offer within the music, such as the electronic touches on Buried In Ice or the bombast and drama of tracks like Harbinger and Threshold, and the scope of death metal that this album covers. From melodeath through to hints of death-doom, this record has a lot more to offer musically than simply old school death metal with a polished, modern production. It’s an incredibly strong debut, and shows a ton of promise for ASHEN and their future music.
Rating: 8/10
Ritual Of Ash is out now via Bitter Loss Records.
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