Ash Of Ashes/Skaldir/2022 Full Length Review

 

  Ash  Of  Ashes  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  musical  style  that  describe  as  being  'epic  skaldic  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2022  album  "Skaldir"  which  will  be  released  in  May.

  Ocean  sounds  and  keyboards  start  off  the  album  which  also  mixes  in  with  the  heavier  sections  of  the  songs  at  times.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Clear  pagan  vocals  can  also  be  heard  in  some  parts  of  the  recording  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording.

  Throughout  the  album  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  music  also  adding  in  touches  of  melodic  death  metal.  Folk  instruments  and  elements  can  also  be  heard  on  some  of  the  tracks   as  well  as  some  songs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  acoustic  guitars  and  female  vocals  are  also  added  on  the  closing  song.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Historical  and  Mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Ash  of  Ashes  and  if  you  are  fan  of  pagan  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Under  The  Moonlight  Sun"  "Evermore"  and  "To  Those  long  Forgotten".  8  out  of  `0.

https://youtu.be/ivTpJy7cJnc

Ash Of Ashes Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Skaldir: Hello! The release of our debut album was quite successful, so we're in a good mood and I have already started to write new songs for the follow-up album that hopefully will not take as much time as the debut.
We also wanna start rehearsing for live shows in 2019.

2. A few months back you had released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?

Skaldir: It's a rather melodic metal style, rooting in Black Metal. We call our music “Epic Skaldic Metal”. You could also call it Pagan Metal, Viking Metal or Epic Metal, but since our music has this storyteller vibe, we wanted to have the word “skald” in there, too.

3. You label your music as 'epic skaldic metal', how would you say your music differs from bands that play more of a pagan metal style?

Skaldir: We surely aren't on the “funny” side music-wise. We don't play party or drinking music. We're rather on the path old bands like BATHORY took, when the whole thing started.

4. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

Skaldir: It's a mixture between mythological, historical as well as tales and legends. We also have four songs on the album which are based on “The Lay of Wayland” – an old Germanic legend found in Anglo-Saxon, German and Scandinavian sources.

5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?

Skaldir: The ship on the ocean scenery fits the title and leaves a lot open for imagination, because you don't see men on it, nor sails.

6. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?

Skaldir: We'll see. Personally I like to work as a duo, and like to compose song on my own. It worked really well, so I don't think that for the albums the line-up will be expanded. But I surely want to have our drummer Dennis on the next album as well!

7. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Skaldir: We’ve chosen to be without label on purpose. The music industry has changed, and I don't really know what an indie label could offer us. But it's also a lot of work to do everything on your own, so maybe in the future there will be collaborations with labels again.

8. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

Skaldir: For a newcomer band there is really nothing more we could ask for. The album was extremely well received. We got tons of great reviews and a lot of plays on Spotify. It was like a dream start.

9. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that both of the band members are a part of?

Morten: I’ve been involved in four bands or projects for quite some time now: THULR, SKARDUS, HERNE and GRAVEHAMMER.
Skaldir: I'm in a few other bands as well. The most known might be ELANE, then I have an Irish Folk Project called OVER THE HILL and a Death Metal band ABSCESSION.

10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Skaldir: The style will more or less stay the same. The songs on the debut are maybe a bit too simple, so maybe we will have some longer and more progressive songs in the future. But I'm not sure yet.

11. How would you describe your views on Paganism?

Morten: I guess it would take too long to describe my personal views on paganism in detail here. Also, I think, that religious - or better spiritual matters – should remain something personal, something private as far as ones daily life is concerned. As it is clear from the lyrics, northern European mythology and lore are things I feel a close connection to, yet I do find similarities and very interesting aspects in other “pagan” or animistic beliefs, e.g. in the mythology of the Native Americans of present day USA and Canada. In general, I think that there is far more to explore and to discover than the usual stories of the two Eddas.

12. What are some of your non-musical interests?

Skaldir: I'm a sound engineer, that's my job and also my passion besides music. In my free time I like to be outside hiking.
Morten: I like to be outside in the woods or on the beach and spend time with my friends and family. And I’m interested in history, so this offers lots of chances to visit interesting places.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Skaldir: As the year is ending and winter is near people naturally think about what happened in their lives this year and what might happens in the next year.
I just wanna say thanks to all the people interested in our music and hope we'll have some new tunes for them next year.

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Ash Of Ashes/Down The White Waters/2018 Full Length Review

  Ash  Of  Ashes  are  a  duo  from  Germany  that  plays  a  musical  style  they  describe  as  being  'epic  skaldic  metal'  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "Down  The  White  Waters".

  Epic  sounding  synths  and  acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  clean  pagan  vocals  a  few  seconds  later  which  are  also  added  into  the  heavier  sections  of  the  music  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Black  metal  screams  can  also  be  heard  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  while  pagan  chants  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  some  blast  beats  when  the  music  speeds  up  as  well  as  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody,  folk  instruments  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  a  short  instrumental  can  also  be  heard.

  Ash  Of  Ashes  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  pagan,  melodic  black  and  folk  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  fro  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Paganism and  Nature  themes  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Ash  Of  Ashes  are  a  very  great  sounding  epic  pagan  metal  duo  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Down  The  White  Waters" "Sea  of  Stones" and  "Chambers  Of  Stone  (The  Lay  Of  Wayland)". 8  out  of  10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NyM2H9BgRU