‘Day One’ is the début album by From Ashes To New and it should represent the ideal chance for them to really make an impact and build upon the couple of EPs already under their belt. However it’s not as cohesive or confident as it needs to be, and for every good idea on show there’s another four or five that go absolutely nowhere. From Ashes To New have previously toured with Papa Roach and Hollywood Undead and their sound sits somewhere between the two, although they thankfully steer well clear of the misogyny and homophobia of the latter.
‘Land Of Make Believe’ wastes no time in laying out its rap-metal identity and the pounding drums and slick riffs give it a satisfying weighty feeling. Due to their eagerness to show every side of their sound at once with zero restraint, what could have been an exciting opening is little more than a disorientating mess that when you look below the surface is actually pretty empty. ‘Farther From Home’ briefly experiments with an atmospheric intro before abandoning that approach in favour of some of the most grating synths known to man that pummel you into near-submission. This and the awful rapping would be bad enough, but then comes a thankfully brief interlude that sounds like someone smashing up a Megadrive with a ‘my first nu-metal riff’ in the background.
Just when it seems that From Ashes To New are going to continue to throw everything at every song regardless of how it actually sounds, they offer up ‘Lost Alone’. The comparatively uncomplicated approach is a breath of fresh air, and although the song is by no means revolutionary, the more straightforward heavy rock template works well as the guitars and vocals fill the newly empty space. Unfortunately, ‘Lost Alone’ stands apart from the almost all of other songs, with ‘Face The Day’ being the only other highlight. It doesn’t reinvent the genre either but there’s a sense of urgency and energy that From Ashes To New barely demonstrate elsewhere.
The rest of ‘Day One’ is a check-list of nu-metal cliches, with From Ashes To New sounding positively bored as emotionless vocals, recycled riffs, and phoned-in rapping feature heavily. ‘Through It All’ for example is a complete retread of the heyday of nu-metal, complete with epic Linkin Park style arena sized riffs. ‘Breaking Now’ on the other hand finds From Ashes To New letting out their overly-produced inner boyband during the verses but it’s a trick played by many bands before them and it holds no surprises, even when it takes a heavier turn during the chorus. That the following track ‘Every Second’ offers almost exactly the same is beyond dull.
‘Day One’ is a classic example of an album almost completely bereft of imagination. Pitches as a dynamic aural antidote to modern life, you could listen to this album over and over again and you’d still be clueless as to how that description could fit.
CHRIS HILSON