THE SCATTERING OF ASHES

The Scattering of Ashes is cold. You feel as though you can actually reach out and touch the storm the experience conveys; the atmosphere is just that wonderfully tangible. But with a beautiful vibe comes great compositions that offer a supreme demonstration of extreme power metal. There's a progressive air that looms about the technical rapid-fire riffage, as the menacing growls and impressive shrieks coat each effort in layers of darkness and melancholy. Aggression as well, sure, but definitely melancholy. As fun as the intricate arrangements and blazing virtuosity prove to be, the undertow of futility and hopelessness remains beneath the flashy exterior of the instruments. Perhaps that's the true source of this collection's quality; you're always hearing tales of personal struggle and desperation, but they're filtered through both addictive melodies and exhausting levels of instrumental showmanship. The way these attributes simultaneously repel and blend with each other is fascinating, and often leads to the best pieces on offer here. Add some folk to the mix (the lovely acoustic intro to "Surrounded by Night" is sublime), and you really feel transported into a different environment altogether.

We've heard the theme of winter used countless times, whether it's by droves of extreme metal groups coming out every year or even simply an overexposure to Christmas music. But The Scattering of Ashes is one of the closest I've heard to whisking me away to different locations and time periods altogether while still fitting snugly into its conveyances of harsh tundras and the lonesome nights in the wilderness. But remember: at the end of the day, you're still listening to an intense power/prog/extreme metal album, one of equal parts aggression and melody. At the end of the day, you're listening to a group who can juggle genres at a master-class level and maintain their emotive musical/lyrical content in the process. You're listening to a singer who can sing three or four different styles in the same damn song without breaking a sweat. The Scattering of Ashes is the sound of incredible atmosphere and concepts carried by a group who are 100% certain they can live up to the task they set for themselves: the task of melding emotion and virtuosity almost flawlessly. At the end of the day, this is a thing of beauty. A thing of progressive, dense, brutal beauty.