. . \_ _/ \ \ / / __\ \ / /__ \ __\ /__ / . \ \ / / / __ _____ ___ _\_\ /_/_ ___/ /___ _ ___ / / ___ \ / \ /___ ___ / \__ ___/ / / \___ ___ ____ / / \__ _/ \__ __/ / \ / ___/ / / \___ / \_____/ _____/ / / \ /___/ /____\ ____/_/ /_/ / \ _ \ _____/_ / /_ / / / ____/_\ ____/\ / / / / / \_ / / _______/ / / ____/__/ \ _\ / / / / ____ /____/ /____ / / / / / / /____/_____ /_____/ / \ ______/____ / /____/ /_______ _._ /_____/ / /_____/___ /_ / _._ / . /____/_ // / . \ _/_ / /. / _\_ / / B L E E D i N G / __\ _ \ \ / /___ / ___\ \ /__ / . \ __\ / / \ \ /_/ \_\ : Artist :: Ashen : : Album :: Ritual of Ash : : Year :: 2023 : _:_ . . _:_ :/ / \ \: / _\ ___ _ _ ___ /_ \ / /____\ /____\ \ /_/ \_\ : : : Genre :: Death Metal Source :: WEB/MP3 : : Label :: Bitter Loss Records R.date :: 2023-01-13 : : Size :: 90.26 MB S.date :: 2023-01-13 : : : : Bitrate :: CBR 320kbps : : Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo : : URL :: http://deezer.com/album/395399957 : : : : : : : : 1. Ritual 4:15 : : 2. Deadsight 4:16 : : 3. Harbinger 3:32 : : 4. Threshold 3:29 : : 5. Blood 4:00 : : 6. Cursed Rebirth 3:58 : : 7. Embrace Extinction 3:05 : : 8. Gravemind 3:41 : : 9. Buried in Ice 3:24 : : 10. Inhuman 3:50 : : : : : : ------- : : 37:30 : _:_ . . _:_ :/ / \ \: / _\ ___ _ _ ___ /_ \ / /____\ /____\ \ /_/ \_\ : : : One of my good friendsáhates Dutch tilts. His vehemence : : against the technique stems from its serial overuse, : : especially in the horror genre. Much like him, struggling to : : love anything that generously applies Dutch tilts, I struggle : : to love much of HM-2 death metal. Outside of the classics and : : a few modern upstarts, this particular guitar tone, for : : whatever reason, brings with it an overused set of : : songwriting tropes that render many albums of this style : : totally forgettable. Australian newcomers Ashen aim to change : : my mind with their debut record,áRitual of Ash. : : : : One thing that I appreciate aboutáAshenÆs approach to gritty, : : buzzsaw death is their restraint. This is not a word we : : typically associate with anything under the metal umbrella, : : but itÆs a perfect fit for Ritual of Ash. Everything here is : : tight, controlled, concise and simple. Chunky riffs sure to : : please any crowd, vocals that are equal parts disgusting and : : comprehensible, and a delightfully straightforward drumming : : performance conspire to upend my general apprehensive : : attitude towards new HM-2 death metal records. The mixing is : : equally satisfying, featuring a deep, rumbling low end and a : : full-bodied midrange which together bring warmth and depth to : : the final product. Compositions pull from a variety of : : influences, from the usual HM-2 suspects (Entombed, : : Dismember, et al) to modern favorites : : likeáCarnation,áHelslave, andáWombbath. YouÆll also detect : : notes of thick groove reminiscent ofáRepulsion and a : : doom-laden eeriness that recalls the eldritch slime ofáearly : : Slugdge. : : : : Ritual of AshÆs best moments provide ample evidence : : ofáAshenÆs ability to write satisfying material. My personal : : favorites, ôThreshold,ö ôEmbrace Extinction,ö and ôGravemindö : : have completely different personalities, but all hit the : : mark. The first is a raucous stomp coated in vomit and other : : assorted filth, infinitely headbangable riffs grooving deep : : into my brain and leaving nothing but fine dining and : : breathing in its wake. ôEmbrace Extinctionö is a beast, but : : one of gloom and doom. Grimy chugs scrape across my flesh in : : a desperate attempt to escape the muck in which they trudge, : : but a thick air of dread keeps all hope obscured. Yet, the : : song is such a memorable march that it sticks long after IÆve : : finished the record. ôGravemindö is the wild child of the : : group. ItÆs fast, itÆs furious, and it features one of the : : coolest harmonized riffs IÆve heard this side of Agma. : : Nothing technical or flowery occurs here, but this trackÆs : : ripping guitar work clearly shows a band holding back from : : overplaying for the sake of more memorableùand arguably : : betterùmaterial. : : : : Simplicity isáRitual of AshÆs greatest virtue, maximizing the : : albumÆs fun factor and sense of weight. However, it also : : reveals a consistency issue in some of the less exemplary : : songs on offer. Opening duo ôRitualö and ôDeadsightö are : : perfect for each other, one stomping leisurely towards its : : altar while the other ramps up the intensity to build more : : momentum into the regal ôHarbinger.ö On the other hand, : : closing duo ôBuried in Iceö and ôInhumanö arenÆt as well : : integrated into the runtime. More specifically, they feel : : tacked on after the ripping tear of ôGravemind.ö This effect : : is particularly odd because it isnÆt like these two tracks : : donÆt share a thematic link with everything else here. ItÆs : : more like they coast on the energy of their preceding : : album-mate to wrap everything up. In doing so, they miss big : : opportunities to leave their own mark. The same is true with : : mid-album couplet ôBloodö and ôCursed Rebirth.ö These tracks : : are stronger by a smidge compared to the penultimate track : : and closer, but they also coast on the hype generated by : : highlight ôThresholdö in the hopes that listeners wonÆt lose : : interest before ôEmbrace Extinctionö roars to life. : : : : Keep in mind thatáRitual of Ash contains no truly weak : : songsùonly weaker ones when compared to their strongest album : : companions. In all, Ritual of Ash is a tight, tectonic slab : : of HM-2 flavored rot. I canÆt say itÆs changed my mind about : : the subgenre at large, but Ashen have a bright future ahead : : of them if this first salvo is any indication. I look forward : : to being there when their next ritual summons me once more. : : : _:_ _:_ /__ /\ /\ __\ __ /__/ /___ / \ ___\ \__\ __ /----/ /----/-- --\----\ \----\ ___ /\/ /________ ________\ \/\ ___ \/ /________ /___ . . ___\ ________\ \/ \ \ \ ___/ / /__ / \_ _/ \ __\ \ \___ / / / \ \ \ \___ / / \/ \ \ / / \/ \ \ ___/ / / / __\ \ \ _/ / _\_ __\ \ / /__ _/_ \ \_ / / /__ \___ \ \ \ / / \ __\ /__ / \ \ / / / ___/ \/\ \ / /___ \ \ ___ / / ___\ \ / /\/ ____\ / /___/___ ____ _\_\ / \___ /_/_ ____ ___\___\ \ /____ \____/ / _____/ / _/ \ __/ / / \_ \ \_____ \ \____/ -/ /__/------------\__ \ /___ __/------------\__\ \- / /__ / /_ / __\ \ _` / / /__ `_ / /_____ //_/ \ / /______/ \ / / \ \ / /__ __\ \ /__ / \ __\ / / \ \ / / \ \ / \