Vinyl Review: "Fallen Cathedrals" by Ashen Horde

Fallen Cathedrals

Well, let's start at the beginning.

In the windswept wastelands of Hollywood, California, exists a band so brutal, so avant garde, so nouveaux, that they have no idea what they are.

Their story began in December of 2016, or somewhere thereabouts when their debut album, Nine Plagues, was released.

Really, it probably started before that, but our friends here from the most brutal state dropped a double LP to start off their career.

Ashen Horde went straight Chicago on our collective asses.

Not only did they drop the a deuce to begin it, but it was a double VINYL LP.

So, good on you my boys.

Ashen Horde are one of those bands that's hard to pigeonhole into a heavy metal subgrenre due to just how out they are.

Ashen Horde

Gazing on the backside of the insert, one could easily believe that they're a NuMetal Band.Of the two members, both are credited as vocals, but one of them is Clean Vocals...you know what that means.

Whenever I think Nu Metal and see the clean singing bit, it's always something that gives me a little bit of pause, but the record is already on the turntable so what am I going to do?

So, the band consists of two gentlemen and here's where it gets funny, to me. Maybe it's the beer in my veins, but one of them does the guitars, basses, clean singing, and (I presume) drum programming while the other does vocals.

Now, this is the kind of band I could be a part of. You got a guy who's willing to hustle, hustle, hustle and then I could just lay down my guitar solos.

I would have to come up with a make up design,,,I think? Maybe this isn't black metal at all.

But, the good news is the vocals on this record are big as butt and thick as White Castle Milkshakes.

Now, this record....it's kind of like black metal, but it's also kinda sorta like classic heavy metal.

I mean, what is it?

If you really are looking for a treat, check out the lyrics on this record. This is some next level stuff. This is another in a long line of metal bands where you can point to what they're talking about to show the world that metal isn't dumb, but is really damned smart.

But, how does this record sound?

I've listened to it like five times front to back at this point, and I really cant' tell you what it is. It's certainly extreme metal.

It's sort of like the nexus of black metal and nu metal, but without enough kickin' guitar solos...but really, both of those genres lack guitar solos.

Rockshots did a great job pressing it onto vinyl. I did have to clean my copy's side A to get the pops out of the oven, but once they were out, perfection.

The stereo mix is big and bold. The vinyl itself is flatter than a board and features precisely no surface noise whatsoever.

Now, as for the songs, this one is a puzzler. Get it and see if you can find out who killed Mr. Body. I think it was Colonel Mustard, but maybe it was Mrs. Peacock.

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