American rockers From Ashes to New have released their first full record, Day One. At only 36 minutes, is there enough content to give listeners an idea of what the guys can offer, or will we have to wait for more content further down the line?
Forming from the remains of defunct bands in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, From Ashes to New first started on the road to success through various social media channels, before releasing a handful of EP’s. Social media has definitely been a friend to the band, with this record being funded through PledgeMusic’s online appeal. It also helps if you have over 100,000 followers on Facebook.
So it stands to reason that they have a decent following if they’ve managed to raise the funds in this method. So on to Day One; the best way to describe the album in as few as words as possible is, something Linkin Park would have come up with about 10 years ago – mighty big shoes to fill, especially for a debut album.
The first track Land Of Make Believe starts off with no introduction and is a quick blast of rap lyrics before settling into a head banging melody mixed with the rap. The melody of the lyrics sound just like something Bullet for My Valentine would come up with, this is also the case with Face the Day where the BFMV influences are clear.
Farther From Home has an electro-rock/nu-metal vibe to it, and is one of the stand-out tracks from the album; the whole record is fresh and original, and to have something this catchy so early on in the album just shows that the 100,000 followers are on to something.
The first single from the album was Through It All and tells the story of a young couple going through the up’s and down’s of a relationship. Peaking at 6 on Rock Charts, it’s high praise and shows that the band have that mass market appeal.
We mentioned Linkin Park and if you listen to some of Breaking Now and Shadows, it could be mistaken for unheard LP material. Yes, some people will argue that the band haven’t actually created anything new and their music is just a copy of bygone albums and artists, but we’ve listened to the album over and over and even though these influences are clearly evident, is it a bad thing? Most fans are comfortable with that sort of genre and giving them more of what they like just helps appeal to a wider audience.
So the downsides? It’s only 36 minutes long and there’ll always be a select group of fans who’ll feel short-changed by this – we weren’t, because of the quality of the material.
It was recently announced that the band would feature in this year’s Warped Tour, alongside the likes of Bullet for my Valentine and Good Charlotte, again being compared and lining up with big rock powerhouses will do the guys a world of good and get their music out there, on arguably one of the biggest stages around.
Their approach to their music can best be described as a scattergun approach: there’s a bit of every genre in there, from rap metal to hardcore, to electro rock. Basically if you like rock, in any of its many forms, you’ll find a track to that appeals.
The album is out now, and if you’re bored of the current offerings by rock bands check these guys out – we weren’t disappointed and we’re sure neither will you
9/10
Standout track: Farther From Home
For Fans Of: Linkin Park, Bullet for my Valentine, Korn
Written by: Omar Malick
