In AshesBreathe Hope

Independent
June 9, 2017
8
loud melodic heavy aggression

In 2017 it’s cool to not be into the classic metalcore sound that captivated us when we first discovered bands that both screamed AND sung in their tunes. After all, Heaven Shall Burn and Killswitch Engage were around in the days of Ozzfest! However, let’s be real with each other for a second; while riffing in 15/16 with polyrhythms and buckets of reverb over the top is a really great thing about modern metal, what really sucked most of us in was the loud, heavy aggression of the music. It’s these three crucial elements that Queensland boys In Ashes nail on their cinematic debut Breathe Hope. Three elements that still exist as the backbone for most, if not all, great heavy music that we love.

From the opening seconds of For Now and Ever, In Ashes do away with any unnecessary need to build anticipation and suspense, dropping straight into a thrashy groove that moves sharply upwards and bursts through the clouds into a glorious chorus. Whilst the songwriting technique has been done before, In Ashes remind the listener that such a method exists for a reason—when done right, it sounds epic.

Indeed, For Now and Ever sounds like a band playing by the rules (to a degree of high quality), and cuts Show A Little Heart and the title track prove that this group can take standard metalcore techniques and turn them into impressive songs. However, throughout Breathe Hope, In Ashes show promising glimpses of some of that extra creativity that will really make this band stand out in the years to come. Isolation brings the speed down but keeps the intensity at maximum, with a heavy backbeat accompanying the dark, ominous crooning vocals and anguished screams. There are moments that sound straight out of Atlas- era Parkway Drive, with the group dabbling in dynamic variety and atmospherics that make things that little bit more unique.

The same can be said for personal favourite Autumn Rain which, despite opening with a stock standard chug-fest, quickly morphs into a moody, half-time shuffle giving the entire thing an unsettling sense of urgency. Things reach a peak in the final two minutes of the song, with a virtuosic bass solo, grumbling over haunting harmonies and enough big-sky tremolo picking to make any fan of Northlane’s Node salivate. These curve balls save Breathe Hope from becoming repetitive, showcasing a far more creative and curious side of In Ashes.

Whilst these moments are indeed pleasing, they seem to be a sign of things to come rather than a definitive statement of where the band is at. At its core, Breathe Hope is a classic metalcore record set to please the hundreds of fans not quite ready to accept their invitation to the djentlemens club. Between The Buried & Me might be pushing boundaries, but the classic hard-hitting breakdowns and gang vocals of White Lillies are hard to not love.

It’ll be great to see where In Ashes take their sound, but there’s more than enough here to make any fan of a thrash-beat or breakdown happy a million times over.  

STANDOUT TRACKS: For Now and Ever, Breathe Hope, White Lilies
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Architects, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains


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