The Ascension Of Isaiah
Describing themselves as ‘a full on 30 minute attack both auditory and visually and not to miss out on’ (taken directly from their FB page), The Ascension of Isaiah are out there hammering out their own take on deathcore with their latest offering, Fleshcrown. They were kind enough to whack us through a copy of their album (which you can download for free HERE if you want to) so I thought it only right we check it out, see what we reckon, and get something written down for them!
(please note – the track order which follows does not necessarily represent the order of the album, but instead the order in which the tracks downloaded onto the system here).
The Intro track which gets things going certainly sets the scene for a dark assed album to follow, opening with a vocal snippet before ushering in distorted, painful and yet oh so good guitar sounds, before once again closing off to allow the album to begin fully. Damnation is the next track I came across and it certainly seems to match what I expected to hear, opening with a hammering guitar line, rolling backing drums, pounding bass rhythms and roaring vocal lines – it’s a distorted mix of elements which is going to get you moving, quivering and scared for your life. Heavy indeed, yet there’s also that signature element of melody which we’ve come to expect from deathcore, adding in a sense that you can listen to this without too much danger, whilst still making sure you don’t get too comfortable.
Failed Servitude continues the distorted journey through the album, this time breaking things down to start with before slowly ushering in the different elements of the track, allowing it to grow around you and making sure you’re once again paying full attention. Faster at times as well as tighter sounding, this track was a serious high point in my eyes, and one of the tracks which I know I’ll be coming back to in order to check it out again – it reminded me of the likes of Envy The Fallen – definitely a track to check out. Title track Fleshcrown once again raises the bar for what we can expect from this album, showing that there’s not going to be a straight forward route through things and that the band are perfectly capable of adding their own unique take on things into the mix to keep it alive. Disjointed on first listen, this is a grower of a track, and one that’ll take a few listens to get fully – but when it clicks, man it’s a great track, the sort of thing which is going to unleash pits from hell live and remind you why Deathcore is the genre it is.
Throwing a restrained interlude into the mix is a brave move, but one which the band have gone for and one which works here, almost providing a rest between the heavy moments and allowing you a moment to reflect on things, take it all in, and understand where you are before the journey continues. Still managing to throw some riffs into the interlude just so you don’t forget what it is you’re listening to, this interlude may well be a moment of reflection, but it still manages to pack a punch, leading onwards ever further and keeping you listening to find out what comes next. For me, Portrait Of Souls came up next, rampaging onwards at an epic pace and once again forming into the sort of track that’s going to get pits going, venues crumbling and a live reputation growing for the band. I don’t want to over use the word heavy here, but it’s the only word I can think of to describe the bass laden mix we’re presented with – there’s roaring vocals, screaming vocals, pounding drum lines, more bass than you can shake a stick at and more of those awesome riffs from the guitar – in short – this is a track you need to hear.
Moving on to Pseudepigrapha there seems to be a shift in the sound of the album, almost easing back for the opening moments to allow the sense of melody to flow freely through things. This calm opening of the track is a real contrast compared to some of the other opening moments, but doesn’t last long before we’re once again smashed in the face with that distorted and powerful approach. Soon resuming the all out insanity of the album so far, this is another serious high point on the album and a track which needs to be played very, very loud to be fully appreciated. There’s a real catchy quality to some of the elements of this track, the sort of thing which sets it apart from the masses and turns it into something that, whilst heavy, is still accessible and awesome to hear. This is something which almost seems to flow onwards into Swallow The World, the penultimate track for me here and another one which seems to move things to a whole new level. Fast paced and unrelenting throughout, the high speed nature of this track turns it into something which just flows, something which causes time to pass without you realising as you’re so immersed in the mix you’re hearing.
Closing the album with Vessel (ft. Gary King) we’re left with no doubt that this is a band that means business, a band that understands their craft, and a band that are just setting out on one hell of a journey. Once again combining all of the elements of the band with aplomb, this may well be another of the heaviest tracks on the album, yet once again there’s a real sense that it’s not just noise, it’s a carefully crafted melee of different elements, all of which can be heard in the final mix – something which isn’t often achieved with bands of this nature.
I’m a little lost for words with The Ascension Of Isaiah as simply, their album wasn’t what I was expecting. We tend to see a lot of mediocre deathcore at the moment as bands think it’s an easy genre to hammer out, so when it’s done well it’s really quite striking. From the start of this album to the finish we’re presented with twists and turns, moments that make you sit up and take note, moments which sit you back and listen, and moments which make you want to get in a pit and throw down. This is a record I know I’ll be coming back to again, and one I recommend you get hold of if you can!
To find out more about The Ascension Of Isaiah, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
(please note – the track order which follows does not necessarily represent the order of the album, but instead the order in which the tracks downloaded onto the system here).
The Intro track which gets things going certainly sets the scene for a dark assed album to follow, opening with a vocal snippet before ushering in distorted, painful and yet oh so good guitar sounds, before once again closing off to allow the album to begin fully. Damnation is the next track I came across and it certainly seems to match what I expected to hear, opening with a hammering guitar line, rolling backing drums, pounding bass rhythms and roaring vocal lines – it’s a distorted mix of elements which is going to get you moving, quivering and scared for your life. Heavy indeed, yet there’s also that signature element of melody which we’ve come to expect from deathcore, adding in a sense that you can listen to this without too much danger, whilst still making sure you don’t get too comfortable.
Failed Servitude continues the distorted journey through the album, this time breaking things down to start with before slowly ushering in the different elements of the track, allowing it to grow around you and making sure you’re once again paying full attention. Faster at times as well as tighter sounding, this track was a serious high point in my eyes, and one of the tracks which I know I’ll be coming back to in order to check it out again – it reminded me of the likes of Envy The Fallen – definitely a track to check out. Title track Fleshcrown once again raises the bar for what we can expect from this album, showing that there’s not going to be a straight forward route through things and that the band are perfectly capable of adding their own unique take on things into the mix to keep it alive. Disjointed on first listen, this is a grower of a track, and one that’ll take a few listens to get fully – but when it clicks, man it’s a great track, the sort of thing which is going to unleash pits from hell live and remind you why Deathcore is the genre it is.
Throwing a restrained interlude into the mix is a brave move, but one which the band have gone for and one which works here, almost providing a rest between the heavy moments and allowing you a moment to reflect on things, take it all in, and understand where you are before the journey continues. Still managing to throw some riffs into the interlude just so you don’t forget what it is you’re listening to, this interlude may well be a moment of reflection, but it still manages to pack a punch, leading onwards ever further and keeping you listening to find out what comes next. For me, Portrait Of Souls came up next, rampaging onwards at an epic pace and once again forming into the sort of track that’s going to get pits going, venues crumbling and a live reputation growing for the band. I don’t want to over use the word heavy here, but it’s the only word I can think of to describe the bass laden mix we’re presented with – there’s roaring vocals, screaming vocals, pounding drum lines, more bass than you can shake a stick at and more of those awesome riffs from the guitar – in short – this is a track you need to hear.
Moving on to Pseudepigrapha there seems to be a shift in the sound of the album, almost easing back for the opening moments to allow the sense of melody to flow freely through things. This calm opening of the track is a real contrast compared to some of the other opening moments, but doesn’t last long before we’re once again smashed in the face with that distorted and powerful approach. Soon resuming the all out insanity of the album so far, this is another serious high point on the album and a track which needs to be played very, very loud to be fully appreciated. There’s a real catchy quality to some of the elements of this track, the sort of thing which sets it apart from the masses and turns it into something that, whilst heavy, is still accessible and awesome to hear. This is something which almost seems to flow onwards into Swallow The World, the penultimate track for me here and another one which seems to move things to a whole new level. Fast paced and unrelenting throughout, the high speed nature of this track turns it into something which just flows, something which causes time to pass without you realising as you’re so immersed in the mix you’re hearing.
Closing the album with Vessel (ft. Gary King) we’re left with no doubt that this is a band that means business, a band that understands their craft, and a band that are just setting out on one hell of a journey. Once again combining all of the elements of the band with aplomb, this may well be another of the heaviest tracks on the album, yet once again there’s a real sense that it’s not just noise, it’s a carefully crafted melee of different elements, all of which can be heard in the final mix – something which isn’t often achieved with bands of this nature.
I’m a little lost for words with The Ascension Of Isaiah as simply, their album wasn’t what I was expecting. We tend to see a lot of mediocre deathcore at the moment as bands think it’s an easy genre to hammer out, so when it’s done well it’s really quite striking. From the start of this album to the finish we’re presented with twists and turns, moments that make you sit up and take note, moments which sit you back and listen, and moments which make you want to get in a pit and throw down. This is a record I know I’ll be coming back to again, and one I recommend you get hold of if you can!
To find out more about The Ascension Of Isaiah, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls