City Of Ashes
South East new guns, City Of Ashes are poised to etch their own imprint on the currently buoyant Brit-rock scene with their passionate brand of Alternative Rock.
Casting reflections from Thursday and Lostprophets, the rising UK four-piece have created an absorbing sound that will warrant your attention.
Formed in 2009 from Eastbourne, Sussex and comprised of front-man Orion Powell, guitarist James Macdonald, Dan Frederick on bass, and Dan Russell handling the drums, ‘City Of Ashes’ spent much of the past three years honing their craft on the stages of various flea pits up and down the country.
The youthful foursome have already cultivated a solid underground following and have managed to share stages with a cluster of rising UK stars on their travels, from ‘Exit Ten’, ‘Polar’, ‘Shadows Chasing Ghosts’, ‘Fei Comodo’, ‘Hildamay’ and Young Guns, to ‘Yashin’, ‘Skindred’, ‘Fearless Vampire Killers’, ‘Attica Rage’ and ‘The Dead Lay Waiting’.
After devoting such dedication to touring, the band decided to concentrate their efforts on recording.
By drafting in much-admired and esteemed producer Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six, Deaf Havana, Don Broco, Your Demise) to the fold, the Sussex rocksters were primed to pull their energetic sound down to tape for the release of their debut EP ‘Then There Was A Hand In The Darkness’.
O’Grady suitably obliged and the end result is mighty impressive. Instantly, the quartet lay down a true marker with their opener ‘Falling Star’, as vocalist Orion Powell hammers home a delectable hook that is duly supported by weaving riffs.
‘Beggars & Thieves’ continues in this hearty vein, surfing over you with stomping blasts and layered dynamics.
Next, the slow burning ‘The Highest Point Of Living’ displays the band’s earnest emotion and diversity, while the closing track ‘A Calm Like Lethargy’ leaves a mark on your eardrums, courtesy of Dan Russell’s ferocious beats. These alt-rockers wield a sharp knack for killer melody and have unveiled a powerhouse debut offering that is sure to propel the band to giddy heights in 2013!
City Of Ashes release ‘Then There Was A Hand In The Darkness’ on 21st January 2013