Ashen Waves – Premonitions (2015)

With a very engaging sense of experimentation and lush Post-Metal/Prog influences, today we have Ashen Waves and their debut album “Premonitions”. Being from the USA, the band brings some of that European ingenuity into their music with a very diverse blend of musical genres cohesively put together to deliver 10 tracks of solid music.

Opening with the Amorphis/Vintersorg influenced “Whispers”, we are treated to a very promising opener that perfectly blends multiple genres. We particularly enjoyed the upbeat keyboards and crafty mixture of clean and harsh vocals. The band’s next musical exploration is the surprising “Enmity” that delivers a healthy mix of Doom/Sludge riffs with dreamy Post-Metal/Proggy passages. While this style might sound odd, the band gracefully pulls it off.

Things continue to be oddly excellent with tracks like “Frozen Night” and the eerie “Bridge through Time”, two songs that show how different and yet how well-crafted is the band’s music. Going over from the boundaries of one genre to the one three doors down, is the band’s biggest asset and what makes them quite unique. With Peter Hraur leading the way playing guitars and keyboards, this band has a very unique atmosphere that we haven’t heard from an American band in years.

A personal favorite has to be the trippy “The Void”, a nearly 10-minute piece that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The CD features little interludes between tracks titled “Premonition” I to IV and they are quite enjoyable atmospheric pieces to help you transition between tracks. Closing with the lively “Anamnesis”, the band throws in some acoustic guitars into their already expensive sound to surprise you on this one.

Overall, “Premonitions” is one hell of a debut album from Ashen Waves. The only thing is that average listeners will find it a bit all over the place and disconnected in the first spin. However, after a few listens, the band’s unique blend of styles will grow on you and make you enjoy this release a lot more than you expect. If you like Proggy/Dreamy music with heavy riffs featuring a unique mixture of tons of genres, look no further and hop on the journey of Ashen Waves.

Label: Self-Released

Release: February 24th, 2015

Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock / Experimental

Country: USA