From The Ashes
Awakened
7.6
From the Ashes comes to you from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the band makes no attempt at hiding the fact that their plan is to break through into mainstream music. Led by vocalist/lead guitarist Matt Wilkof, this release is a sumptuously thrown together riff fest that boasts of guitar work screaming loud and proud with catchiness and hook. Anything from thrashy gallops to some punchy chunks, to some speedier picking patterns that flow along with some well-played and energetic double kick. Addictive melodic interchanges are heavily used to help the songs transition from part to part, and they're beautifully placed throughout the album’s entirety. The refreshing taste within the lead work definitely shows a sense of someone trying to bring simple yet very effectual melodic tones to the limelight, but they also hold an aspect of flare, proving Wilkof is a student of the axe. Also prevalent are many moments that flaunt some nice acoustic work – including a couple of ballads that cry for the airwaves and really add a sense of variety to the album as a whole.
Wilkof’s vocals are undoubtedly as impressive as his axe work. What I’m hearing is a style that mixes the grittiness of a Rob Flynn (Machine Head), sprinkled with a pinch of Chris Cornell's higher pitched croon (Audioslave, ex-Soundgarden) and a dash of latter day Russ Anderson (Forbidden's Green-era). But to leave it at that would be an insult, as the end result is fresh to the ear and will surely please fans that are fed up with the cookie cutter growls all the time. To be frank, the boy can sing, and he sings well. The rhythm department is brought forth by the tight drumming of Angel Hernandez and competent bass work of Das Hass. Their tenacious connection suits the songs well by showing off enough flavor to give the songs the necessary backbone, yet they don't take anything away from the album’s strongest facets – the riffs and the vocals. But you’d damn well better make sure and turn your bass knob down a tad before you press play, because the low end thump is sure to rattle anything not locked down in your listening area.
All in all there are some pretty decent songs to be heard on Awakened with only a few stinkers, and this is a fine metal album that teeters on the edge of where the underground and mainstream conjoin. From the Ashes have made quite a splendid attempt at writing a hook snaring album that, while it may be a bit too heavy for the radio, is as easily digestible as anything heard on your FM dial. But at the end of the day the album still has enough underground bite to please fans like me who avoid FM radio like the plague. Listeners of Machine Head, Non-Point, and even Disturbed will enjoy this quite a bit.
