Ashes of Ares

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Ashes of Ares is a metal band based in New York that formed in 2012.  Their latest release, “New Messiahs” is their fourth full-length album.  Unless you’re new metal (in that case, WELCOME!), you probably know this band features former Iced Earth members Matt Barlow and Freddie Vidales.  

“New Messiahs,” is quite the aggressive album; the band has been trending that way for awhile and I’m all here for it.  Barlow’s vocals only get better with the passing of time—he is in incredible form here.  He displays his prowess but is also very vicious at times.   Freddie’s guitar/bass offers the perfect companion for the vocalist, continuing to showcase how perfect of a duo they are.  Session drummer Kyle Taylor, who played on their previous EP release “Throne of Iniquity,” brings a beefy, sterling performance.  The three of them burn through this album like a raging firestorm.

The album begins with the intro “Novus Ordo,” and as far as intro tracks go, it is pretty solid.  It does a good job building up energy.  It leads right into the first full song, which is the album’s title track.

It begins with raging riffs, flowing towards a catchy as hell chorus.  Barlow uses his time in the song well, singing his ass off while constantly reaching for new heights.  The overall vibe of the song is pretty thrashy, kind of like something you might hear in old school power metal or an Iced Earth song.  The drums are tight, crisp, serving a battering ram.

“Where You Go,” begins with clean, melodic guitar and expressive croons from Barlow.  It seems like it might be a ballad but it quickly turns into a heavy romp, very dark and brooding.  The drums accent the riffs well, pushing the strong rhythms in and out of the heavy and melodic passages.  The final half of the song speeds up, including a wonderful guitar solo.

“Keep on Walkin’” is more along the lines of a ballad but it has plenty of heavy parts.  The bass is melodic and the rest of the song builds around it.  Barlow belts out yet another catchy chorus and his soulful vocals put the song on another level.  The solo and the drums are pretty damn energetic for such a song but I like those dynamics.  

“Lust to Feed,” is another dark banger and this one brings in super hard riffs.  I like the slower tempo that intertwines in places, adding to the sinister feeling of the song.  After about a minute and a half, the drums and guitars throw out a brutal rhythm while Barlow goes for broke.  Oh look, another chorus I can’t get out of my head.  Good!  

The final song, “From Hell He Rides,” is one of the best songs the band has done.  The beginning has melodic tones but there is some trepidation behind them.  Those feelings were right as the song builds up into an explosive moment at the 48 second mark when Barlow belts out a wail while Freddie and Kyle pour on the metal.  This is a well written song that just begs to be played over and over, which makes it a fantastic ending.  

Ashes of Ares have established themselves as a force in the modern metal scene and “New Messiahs” only continues to solidify that fact.  I hope there are many more albums but until then, I’ll keep jamming this one.  

Rating:  Excellent





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