Ashes - NEW!
We’ve featured Ashes before, so when they dropped us a line letting us know about their new EP, Stand Up, I was looking forward to checking out what they’d been up to. Describing their style as ‘hard rock’, we were pretty impressed when we checked out their debut EP, Prelude, as it seemed to suggest a band who understood their style, knew what they wanted and how to get there, and were primed to take over. Based on this, I cracked on the new record to see how the guys were getting on with things.
Kicking off with Pretty Fly things get off to an upbeat start, immediately launching us into a melee of roaring guitar lines, pounding drums and soaring vocals. The mix that forms here is one which is funky, powerful and in your face, the sort of thing that’s going to get you moving along, dancing, tapping your feet and nodding your head, the sort of thing that’s going to kill on the live scene. Once again managing to showcase their own outlook on music, things sound pretty good based on the opening moments here! Dublin Days continues this approach further, immediately tossing us into a world packed with riffs, solid vocals and a rumbling rhythm section, all melding together in a catchy and upbeat mix. Soaring lead lines combine with the groove orientated riffs to once again form a sound that’s impossible to resist. Once again forging a sound that’s firmly rooted in the world of hard rock, the straight forwardness of this track is what makes it so appealing, managing to capture a classic sound whilst still adding in their own sense of progression and freshness – definitely a track to check out.
Hiding From The Sun follows convention and once again, offers up a soaring melee of hammering guitar work, powerful drumming and rumbling bass, all coming together and pummelling you from the word go. Somehow incorporating an almost ambient approach into their mix, this is one which combines the bands outlook with a more complex approach to their music, using the different elements within the band to bolster the sound, becoming deeper and deeper as it progresses and keeping the listener involved throughout. It’s only then left to Standing Tall to close things, kicking in with a hammering mix of drums and guitars, saving perhaps the heaviest moments of the EP for last, but finishing on a high. Funky guitar work once again leads the way as the track progresses, keeping things moving and keeping you safe in the knowledge that Ashes are a band who understand what they’re doing, and have got the goods to back it up.
It’s always interesting to hear how a band has progressed since we last checked them out as it shows how they evolve, grow and develop their style. With Ashes, it’s clear that they’ve been working, have been developing, and have put together 4 tracks here which are sure to appeal to fans of hard music, soft music, and those who are simply looking for some rock to kick back to. I still maintain that this is a band we need to be keeping an eye on – so I shall look forward to seeing what they get up to next.
To find out more about Ashes, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Kicking off with Pretty Fly things get off to an upbeat start, immediately launching us into a melee of roaring guitar lines, pounding drums and soaring vocals. The mix that forms here is one which is funky, powerful and in your face, the sort of thing that’s going to get you moving along, dancing, tapping your feet and nodding your head, the sort of thing that’s going to kill on the live scene. Once again managing to showcase their own outlook on music, things sound pretty good based on the opening moments here! Dublin Days continues this approach further, immediately tossing us into a world packed with riffs, solid vocals and a rumbling rhythm section, all melding together in a catchy and upbeat mix. Soaring lead lines combine with the groove orientated riffs to once again form a sound that’s impossible to resist. Once again forging a sound that’s firmly rooted in the world of hard rock, the straight forwardness of this track is what makes it so appealing, managing to capture a classic sound whilst still adding in their own sense of progression and freshness – definitely a track to check out.
Hiding From The Sun follows convention and once again, offers up a soaring melee of hammering guitar work, powerful drumming and rumbling bass, all coming together and pummelling you from the word go. Somehow incorporating an almost ambient approach into their mix, this is one which combines the bands outlook with a more complex approach to their music, using the different elements within the band to bolster the sound, becoming deeper and deeper as it progresses and keeping the listener involved throughout. It’s only then left to Standing Tall to close things, kicking in with a hammering mix of drums and guitars, saving perhaps the heaviest moments of the EP for last, but finishing on a high. Funky guitar work once again leads the way as the track progresses, keeping things moving and keeping you safe in the knowledge that Ashes are a band who understand what they’re doing, and have got the goods to back it up.
It’s always interesting to hear how a band has progressed since we last checked them out as it shows how they evolve, grow and develop their style. With Ashes, it’s clear that they’ve been working, have been developing, and have put together 4 tracks here which are sure to appeal to fans of hard music, soft music, and those who are simply looking for some rock to kick back to. I still maintain that this is a band we need to be keeping an eye on – so I shall look forward to seeing what they get up to next.
To find out more about Ashes, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Ashes
The chaps in Ashes dropped us a line recently to let us know about their new EP, Prelude, to check out what we thought of things. Described as hard rock from the UK, the guys have been out there putting their audiences onto their style since 2011, so I thought it only right I check out what the EP had on offer!
Opening with Bad Boy Blues the EP gets off to an acoustic and dark sound, the opening moments not giving away what’s to follow but suggesting that it’s going to be something worthy of checking out. Moving from the slow and soft approach, the track soon assumes a groove orientated mix which packs one hell of a punch, all of a sudden changing from the soft and easy to listen to approach and becoming a sound that you can’t sit still to, it’s the sort of mix you want to move to from the word go. Combining in a sense of melody to keep things accessible and open, the opening moments of this EP suggest damned good things are to follow for sure. Bad Hatter follows on, opening with a haunting bout of laughter before once again thrusting into a well crafted guitar orientated line full of groovy riffs. Roving between the hard hitting and funky approach to a softer approach, the track doesn’t follow convention or copy anyone else, instead crafting the bands own unique path through the mix and showing that they understand what it is they’re doing – it’s another solid track to follow on from the first.
Moving on to Mystery there’s no intro to greet us, instead throwing us straight into a mix of drums, guitars and bass heavy rhythms, it’s another solid mix which continues the sound of the album with aplomb. Throughout this track there’s a sense of dark new wave stuff in the background, perhaps from the vocals, but it adds a sense of depth that wouldn’t normally be found in a mix like this. It’s a strange track, but it still manages to work here. It’s only left then to Bloodsucker to close the EP, finishing with a hard hitting melee of lead lines, bass rhythms and a real sense of upbeat movement running through the track. This is one of the more intricate tracks on the EP and one which stands out as a definite high point. Showing off a real blues base to their music, this is another track which doesn’t follow convention but shows just how much these guys understand what it is they’re doing. Closing the EP, it’s a case of leaving the listener wanting more and wondering what’s going to come next to follow this!
As a debut EP, Prelude from Ashes does what it should and introduces us to a band we need to be keeping an eye on. It’s not perfect, but that’s half of the appeal here I think, showing where the band have come from and showing how they’re developing their style as they continue to write and perform. This is a band I’ll be keeping an eye on to see what comes next – and I think it could be damned interesting!
To find out more about Ashes, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Bad Boy Blues the EP gets off to an acoustic and dark sound, the opening moments not giving away what’s to follow but suggesting that it’s going to be something worthy of checking out. Moving from the slow and soft approach, the track soon assumes a groove orientated mix which packs one hell of a punch, all of a sudden changing from the soft and easy to listen to approach and becoming a sound that you can’t sit still to, it’s the sort of mix you want to move to from the word go. Combining in a sense of melody to keep things accessible and open, the opening moments of this EP suggest damned good things are to follow for sure. Bad Hatter follows on, opening with a haunting bout of laughter before once again thrusting into a well crafted guitar orientated line full of groovy riffs. Roving between the hard hitting and funky approach to a softer approach, the track doesn’t follow convention or copy anyone else, instead crafting the bands own unique path through the mix and showing that they understand what it is they’re doing – it’s another solid track to follow on from the first.
Moving on to Mystery there’s no intro to greet us, instead throwing us straight into a mix of drums, guitars and bass heavy rhythms, it’s another solid mix which continues the sound of the album with aplomb. Throughout this track there’s a sense of dark new wave stuff in the background, perhaps from the vocals, but it adds a sense of depth that wouldn’t normally be found in a mix like this. It’s a strange track, but it still manages to work here. It’s only left then to Bloodsucker to close the EP, finishing with a hard hitting melee of lead lines, bass rhythms and a real sense of upbeat movement running through the track. This is one of the more intricate tracks on the EP and one which stands out as a definite high point. Showing off a real blues base to their music, this is another track which doesn’t follow convention but shows just how much these guys understand what it is they’re doing. Closing the EP, it’s a case of leaving the listener wanting more and wondering what’s going to come next to follow this!
As a debut EP, Prelude from Ashes does what it should and introduces us to a band we need to be keeping an eye on. It’s not perfect, but that’s half of the appeal here I think, showing where the band have come from and showing how they’re developing their style as they continue to write and perform. This is a band I’ll be keeping an eye on to see what comes next – and I think it could be damned interesting!
To find out more about Ashes, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls