This is the second album from Australian death metallers Ashen.
Following on from 2023’s Ritual of Ash comes the 39-minute Leave the Flesh Behind. The Ashen death metal juggernaut continues to roll, crushing all in its path. This time though, there are more layers to Ashen’s assault.
Ashen’s groove-focused old-school death metal is easy to like. It’s well-written, well-produced, and massively heavy. Leave the Flesh Behind‘s style is a healthy mix of the ancient Swedish and UK scenes, with a touch of influence from the US. Think a mix of bands such as At the Gates, Bloodbath, Bolt Thrower, and Dismember, and you’ll have a decent starting point for the Ashen experience.
The songs are brutal, but song-focused, and increasingly mood-rich. The riffs are huge and the grooves lethal. Macabre atmosphere is conjured across the songs effectively, and melodic aspects dance around the punishing guitars like the flames of vanquished civilisations. The vocals are the sort of monstrous growls that sound as if they’d swallow the world if allowed to. They’re not monotonous grunts though, as there’s variety in the singer’s delivery, all the way to scathing screams.
Now, you could basically have said something similar to the last paragraph about the band’s debut album, so the “increasingly mood-rich” part needs to be highlighted here. Ashen have not stood still with their sound. One of the key aspects that has been further developed since Ritual of Ash is the atmospheric side of the music. Songs like Aeon are a perfect example of this, where Ashen use a death metal framework to build and sustain a sinister soundscape that’s heavily immersive. The entire album is awash with this increased sophistication, (for lack of a better word). This is still a record of death metal carnage, but now Ashen know how to build and sustain mood and feeling, which only adds to their appeal.
Essentially, Ashen have developed their personality on Leave the Flesh Behind, building a richer, fuller collection of tracks that have more weapons in their arsenal with which to destroy. It works a treat, and it’s why this is the superior album out of the two. I’m very interested to see how Ashen continue down their chosen path in the future.
For now though, Ashen stomp all over your face, and you love it, don’t deny it. Leave the Flesh behind is another monster of an album from Ashen, only one that’s not afraid to feel things as it rips your face off.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 