FROM ASHES RISE - Nightmares LP

Havoc has licensed this epic third full length by From Ashes Rise from Jade Tree records, the CD version is still available from Jade Tree. I've been a big fan of From Ashes Rise from the beginning and the split LP with Victims is one of the labels releases Im most proud of. From Ashes Rise takes the traditional hardcore sounds of Amebix, Discharge and early Swedish hardcore and mixes them with the Tennessee Sound and influences from the more melodic side of Death Metal. The result is the one of the most crushing assaults in hardcore today but amidst the walls of sheer power is an underlying melody and song structure that sets this band apart from dozens of other power riff merchants. The flawless production on this record bring out a depth and structure to the music that I think is hard to capture at a live show. There is a certain atmosphere to this record that brings to mind standing at the edge of a murky abyss. There is an underlying tension between melody and power that is skillfully fused to put this record at the peak of its genre. The lyrics deal with war, oppression and alienation in a semi detached but realistic form, as if someone had traveled away for a long time to return and comment on a society gone mad in their absence. Dark, brooding and powerful would probably be the three most evocative words in describing such a work.