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. Here is a link to it so that you can see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGUw_BihQc0
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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