Shrewsbury/Birmingham/Wolverhampton's Ashen Crown, Obsolescence - album review

The band - who have ties to Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Wolverhampton among their ranks - have dropped eight tracks of the deepest sludge and death metal to please the ears and get the circle pits going among their following hordes.

It's an interesting concept behind the writing. As the band say, it "relates to our thoughts that things change, and over time concepts such as religion, politics and ideologies will become obsolete".

"Plus, as we grow musically some of the tracks on this album will become obsolete," the continue, adding it's "a metaphor for our intent of progression and a massive shift in the writing process, leaving behind what once was".

The writing came at a critical time for the five-piece. A line-up change saw Mike Ellis take over drumming duties and the original November 2018 release date for an EP was pushed back. But they kept plugging in and playing, and with the help of Neil Hudson of Initiate Audio and Media they expanded that into this album.

Carrying a beautifully lonely artwork image from Mark Erskine of Erskine Design, you immediately know what you are going to get.

And you should head straight to Crimson Sea and listen to that gorgeous guitar solo two thirds through that plays out like a love ballad in the middle of this crashing cacophony powered by the low, guttural vocals of Kieron Scott. It's a wonderful near-seven-minutes of power that has to be heard.

The equally mesmerising Blood Beneath Us has one of the best outros we have heard for a long time, complete with operatic backing vocals to add to the atmospherics. These come after a thundering main body of the song that has Ellis in the driving seat with his exquisite stick-work.

The explosive Right To Rise is another highlight with its duelling guitars from Ste Fowkes and Jay Rogers, and those instrumentals between chorus and verse are throat-grabbing.

Opening salvo Unbroken Faith is also one giant slap to the face once the bell has finished tolling us in.

It's a magnificent record from these guys, and we only hope they don't leave us waiting three years again for the next.

Rating: 8/10

Ashen Crown can be found on Facebook @ashencrown.uk and Twitter @AshenCrown. The album is available to hear on Spotify. Physical copies can be bought from Big Cartel. They will play as part of Smashfest2! at Birmingham's Asylum on February 1, 2020, and then Midlands Metal Crusade VIII at Wolverhampton's KK's Steel Mill on April 25.