New Music Review : Ashes of Ares 2013 Debut Album : Dangerdog Music Reviews

February 2025

Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
Mantric Momentum: Alienized
Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
Dream Theater: Parasomnia
Tyran: Tyran's Oath
Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

Wildness: Avenger
The Ferrymen: Iron Will
Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
Bonfire: Higher Ground
The Big Deal: Electrified
Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

After Lapse: Pathways
Illusion Force: Halfana
Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

Sunstorm: Restless Fight
Storace: Crossfire
Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
Lionville: Supernatural
Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
Lonerider: Down In The Dust
Seventh Crystal: Entity
Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
Impellitteri: War Machine
Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

October 2024

Casandra's Crossing: Garden Of Earthly Delights
DGM: Endless
Daytona: Garder la Flamme
Fate: Reconnect 'N Ignite
Frost*: Life In The Wires
Aries Descendant: From The Ashes Of Deceit
Fans Of The Dark: Video
Radioactive: Reset
House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
Cleanbreak: We Are The Fire

[ More Music Reviews ]

Ashes of Ares: Ashes of Ares

Heavy Metal

4.0/5.0

Website Facebook
Nuclear Blast Records
by Craig Hartranft, 08.30.2013

Ashes of Ares is a new heavy metal project by former Iced Earth members Matt Barlow on vocals and Freddie Vidales on guitar and bass, along with former Nevermore drummer, Van Williams. Putting their collective heads and experience together the trio has come up with platter of solid traditional heavy/power metal.

Ashes of Ares: looking up.

We haven't heard Matt Barlow on record since 2009 with an Iced Earth and Pyramaze. Honestly, I've forgotten how could this guy can be when he brings his A-game to the studio. As a metal singer his range of expression is quite significant, from basic melodic to whiskey rough to peaking out in screams. Sometimes two or three different styles will show up in one song like within The Messenger or Chalice of Man.

Musically, your expectation can be an amalgamation of each members' history and heavy metal calling, possibly excepting Barlow's one off assignment with Pyramaze. This isn't quite progressive metal. No, it's basic bang your head American heavy power metal. Even throwing around the 'power' metal angle may be problematic. Much of the material is heavy, steady, with a more moderate pace, rather than the galloping course associated with power metal. Yet songs like On Warrior's Wings or The One Eyed King, by example, have moments where the tempo quickens.

Largely, the AoA formula is simple: a strong and eager rhythm section as the foundation; crisp guitar lines from smooth to chunky riffage to a touch of acoustic guitar; and then, Barlow's varied vocal arrangements joining in. When comes together it works quite well, and becomes rather impressive, as with Punishment, Chalice of Man, The Messenger, and This Is My Hell. The wild card here, however, is The Answer, a soaring anthem which tones down the chunky heaviness found elsewhere for cooler melodic metal and another impressive Barlow vocal show. It's simply a great song.

Ashes of Ares' debut album is a strong one, and finds the band poised to be a force in the realm of traditional heavy metal. Recommended.

ASHES OF ARES - Dead Man's Plight (OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO)

CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.