[Originally posted October 19, 2011]
Ashes of Erin is one of the bands that I discovered in my gothic/symphonic metal phase. I found this group along with
Xandria,
Elysion,
Edenbridge,
Elis, and
Whyzdom via
Spirit of
Metal. The thing about this band that’s not common amongst the gothic metal and symphonic metal scene is that they’re American, unlike most others being European. They also have a sound that I can’t really find in many other groups. I’ve been listening to
Ashes of Erin for a couple of months now and they’ve grown on me greatly.
When it comes to gothic metal, I’m used to the more melodic sound that comes out of bands like
Katatonia and
Sirenia.
Ashes of Erin has a heavier, more angry sound. I haven’t found much background information on any of the members regarding their musical history, but there is a small biography on their MySpace that doesn’t give much helpful info. So I’m writing this from a perspective of a listener that knows nothing but the members’ first names and the sound of their music. There are a lot of abstract sounds in this record regarding the weird chords and out of tune guitar lines and singing. Now I don’t know how much of this is on purpose or if it’s all just because they’re new to the music world; but the majority of it sounds intentional. Now just like almost every other band in their genre, there is a hot female vocalist involved.
Jenna doesn’t have that soft, mushy, and sometimes operatic voice that most other female metal vocalists have (like Simone Simons,
Tarja Turunen, and
Floor Jansen). I’m having trouble coming up with a singer that has a similar voice to her, so I guess Jenna’s voice is more unique than I had originally thought. She is though, similar to Lacey Mosley of
Flyleaf. Not in the sound of their voices, but they both have a gut-wrenching scream that sends chills down your back. I did not see this coming when I listened to the second song off the album. Just watch the video below to get an idea of the scream.
The songwriting is excellent. It has an abstract sound that shifts from a very angry sound to an eerie melodic ballad. The harmonization is great and it fits the music perfectly, but it’s not my favorite style. I really wish this band takes off so that I can see what their live performances are like, because they’ve apparently only played local shows, mainly as an opening act for bigger bands on a US tour.
And if they do end up going on tours, people will love them. My favorite song off of this album is the melodic song
Distorted Revelation. This album gets 16/20
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