“I watched her bleed under ashen skies.“
It seems like a blink of an eye since Azshara released their debut demo, yet it is perhaps a testament to how quickly the sands of time can move that it only dropped in October 2023. Even with an extended period between that release and their now follow-up, the fact that Azshara didn’t wash away in those sands is a testament to their quality. Now presenting their return on Ashen Skies, the Syracuse unit throw down for their next foray, proving to be an absolutely absorbing release.
Opening with the famed Donnie Darko quote “I just hope that when the world comes to an end, I can breathe a sigh of relief… because there will be so much to look forward to“, Azshara quickly unleash their blackened metalcore sound on “To Bring Our End“. A tighter mix is present from the outset, with everything further up and biting harder than their previous demo. The rawness of the vocals still carries, with each snare pop and guitar strum exhumed from the demo’s carnage. A grand job has been done here on the production to succinctly meet Azshara‘s sound.
Each riff continues to pierce through as Ashen Skies moves into “Thorn“. The distinct vocals of Flynn cover an almost old school Gothenburg melodeath style, traded off against the barks from Dan Violence of Kidnapped. Ushering in a sheer feral nature that Azshara hadn’t touched before, including a hard-as-nails breakdown that will get limbs swinging at a hometown or even any of their East Coast shows. A brief respite comes from interlude “Mourning Frost“; plucked metallic riffs are reposed under rainfall samples, setting the perfect tone for the revival style present here.
The title track swings in with raspier vocals, as Flynn mournfully growls “I watched her bleed under ashen skies, rain fell like tears while ravens cried“, before the track dives into black metal styling from the ninety second mark. Blast beats with double kicks come flying and the raspy high-pitched vocals fill “Ashen Skies“, before indulging in a straight up hardcore breakdown. This all makes for a rich listen that weaves different styles at each turn. The hardcore beatdown throttle returns on closer “Soulbound“, with each instrumental executed with a ful force, the call of “Forever ends tonight” yearns to be barked back in a live setting, before setting into Azshara’s closing strecht of whirling guitars that majestically lead the track into its fade out.
Intertwining genres from melodeath, hardcore and black metal with ease, and a vocal performance from Flynn that commands and carries, Ashen Skies is a really compelling package. While there might be a sense the longer wait for Azshara could have offered up more in quantity, Ashen Skies should can be seen as their first true outing, and should be one to make a mark on the hardcore and revival scenes.
7/10
Ashen Skies is set to release March 21st via DAZE, and can be pre-ordered here.