Ashen Waves: Premonitions

Here is another release from 2014 that I am currently sinking my teeth into. The band is Ashen Waves, a side project of the band Lör, and their debut album is titled Premonitions. The band hails from Pennsylvania and this is the first I have heard of the project.

In the band are Peter Hraur (guitars, keyboards, harsh vocals), Tyler Fedeli (drums, clean vocals) and Graham Noël (bass).

Talk about another independent band making waves (pardon the pun). These guys are for real folks as Premonitions is one excellent album. The overall mood of the music is somber and dark with a surprising Nordic feel seeping through the cracks. The feeling is one of desolation and bleakness but this is not depressing music at all, in fact it is downright exhilarating. The press release bills them as 'symphonic post metal' and while that covers part of the story it doesn't describe all the bases. Death metal, doom, folk, ambient and symphonic prog are all part of the package and what makes this band so interesting is how they travel between genres seamlessly never missing a beat.

The album begins with "Whispers" and its forlorn piano intro with melodic guitar chords soon entering the fold. The riffs become heavier but still melodic and the clean vocals of Fedeli are quite sublime. After a few twists and turns through Nordic influenced rock and metal, dramatic heavy prog with orchestral keyboards will have symphonic rock fans bursting at the seams. Next is "Premonition I", a short instrumental with gentle percussion, subtle effects and forlorn piano. The heavy and doomy "Enmity" features Sabbath-like riffs doing a slow crawl upon which Hraur lets loose with his sinister growling. Pretty soon more pastoral climes ensue with clean vocals and pretty acoustic guitar. The heaviness returns and back and forth it goes like light shimmering upon on the ripples of a lake. In "Frozen Night" and "The Void" the band transition between death metal and pastoral-like prog. In "The Void" the gothic sounding organ adds an extra dimension to the sound.

Ashen Waves have produced an aurally stunning album with Premonitions. Their attention to detail and song craftsmanship is first rate which is no small feat for an independent band. Clearly, this band deserves your support.

Track Listing:
1. Whispers
2. Premonition I
3. Enmity
4. Premonition II
5. Frozen Night
6. Premonition III
7. Bridge Through Time
8. The Void
9. Premonition IV
10. Anamnesis

Added: February 7th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2806
Language: english

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