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Made up of former members of Possession and Coven, Frost Like Ashes is one of the most promising extreme metal bands to come along in the last twelve months. This band is proof that it is possible to have something good come from Kansas. With this 25 minute EP, Pure as the Blood Covered Snow, Frost Like Ashes batters our skulls with five truly brutal songs of black/death metal. Three of the five songs here were on their 2002 demo, but that release wasn't really released to the general public, so this is basically all new songs.
The opening cut "Notions of Insanity" relentlessly attacks from the first second with a double bass barrage, grinding guitars, and sickening vocals that switch with ease from black shrieks, to deathly growls, to some extremely shrill screams. The vocalist here is the same as the one from Possession, so if you are familar with that band then you know I'm right about the quality of the vocals. "A Cruel Verse" follows with a Cradle of Filth type feel. I love the scream that Azahel does at the first of this song, right after the spoken intro. It gives ya chills the first time you hear it. No sooner does the scream end then the band blastbeats those chills right out of you. Next up, "Adorers of Blood" meticulously claws and scrapes at you with addictive power. I kinda switch back and forth with this song and "A Cruel Verse" over which one is my favorite. Next up, they do an extreme cover of Black Sabbath's "After Forever". If any of you remember the Deliverance version of this song, I personally like this version better. The finally track is a demo version of "Immortals". This song was the first song the band ever wrote. The production isn't as good as the other songs (hence the demo name), but it's still a cool song. The lyrics here ring clear, "How sweet it is not to fear death. And how sweet to know Truth." The lyrics aren't included in the one page booklet, but are available on the band's website. They are actually very good lyrics, so do yourself a favor and listen to this disc while reading along with the lyrics.
Overall, this disc is certainly worth the cash to obtain. I think that Frost Like Ashes is a very promising band. However, with the talent they have, I think they can make a much bigger impact than even this disc. I'm very interested to see how this band evolves. (Review by Matt)
- The Whipping Post
After much hardship Frost Like Ashes have finally bestowed their first full length album upon us. Wow, so what took so long between the 'Pure As The Blood Covered Snow' EP and this album? Well, lets see ... a record label that just literally disappeared sticking the band with a huge recording bill, a change of bassists, a new keyboardist, and finally signing with a brand new label. Obviously those arent all bad things, Ruach and Qoheleth have both added to the band immensely. I was actually a bit wary about the addition of a full time keyboardist, but the keyboards are done very well and this album in no way falls into the 'cheesy symphonic black metal' trap. What we have here isnt too much different from 'Pure As..' really, if you liked that EP you will love this album, the music is still a combination of death metal and black metal, the songs are still quite fast and definitely heavy and Azahel still has one of the most distinctive voices you will come across. The differences ... well, the production is light years beyond the EP, keyboards are much more prominent, but instead of carrying all of the melody or taking over the song, they actually just enhance what is already there. If you took the keyboards away you would still have really good songs, adding the keyboards simply takes the music to another level, I wish more metal bands that utilized keyboards used them this way. The songs seem to be a bit more memorable this time ... 'Of Spirit and Power' will get stuck in your head like nothing else, I dont know if any other songs from the album are going to be directed towards radio ['Nightfalls Cold Kiss' having already shown up on several internet metal radio stations], but if they are I would highly recommend this one. There is definitely more of a thrash element to this album, but dont worry this isnt like what Extol did with 'Synergy', it's still FLA, just with something new added to what was already there. A couple songs will already be familiar ... Nightfalls Cold Kiss which was something of a 'hit' for the band a while back makes it's album debut and as the band has said it is the 'ballad' from Tophet, if you have heard it you know that we arent talking about a 'Nothing Else Matters' type song here. Also included is a rerecorded version of 'A Cruel Verse' from "Pure As..." that puts the original [as good as it was] to shame. Honestly, I think this is better than the recent releases by the heavy-weights in the christian metal scene who are already on their third or fourth album. The drums are faster and tighter, the guitars sound great and rip your head off from across the room ... especially in the song 'Lord of Darkness', definitely pay attention to this song. There has been a long wait for Tophet, but finally getting to hear it makes every set back insignificant.
- Christianpunks.com
FLA Try to build thier own sound on this album. It is a mixture of black/death metal with the occasional atmospheric parts provided by the keyboards. This is a marked improvement from thier previous effort. The songwriting has matured and so has the abililty to play their instruments. ALso on this album, they re-do "A Cruel Verse," which reflects were they are, and were they want to go. This is something that any fan of Christian Black/Death should check out, as Frost Like Ashes put a new spin on old ideas. [Psycho Acoustix] Daniel Jesse
- Heavens Metal Magazine
Discography
Tophet
Pure As The Blood Covered Snow (EP)
Compilation
A Treasury of Sorrows
Heavy Metal Box Set
Arachnid Terror Sampler
A Brutal Christmas (The Season In Chaos)
Photos
Bio
Spring of 2001 saw the birth of a vision and a band. The keeper of the vision, Sebat. the band, Frost Like Ashes. Though Sebat had experience in bands such as World Funeral and Coven as vocalist, he would begin this musical manifestation on guitar. Joining forces with Syntyche on Bass, Azahel (formerly of Possession) on Vocals, and eventually, Adonijah (formerly of Possession and Steadfast) on Drums and Keys, Sebat and crew had recorded 4 songs by 2002. "Immortals" had more than 1100 downloads in the first few months of its release. "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" was featured on the compilation entitled "A Brutal Christmas". "Adorers of Blood" was released on a British compilation called "Arachnid Terror" and the final song, "A Cruel Verse" was added to the three songs that were recorded in the Fall of 2002 to create Frost Like Ashes' first CD entitled "Pure As The Blood Covered Snow".
2002 also saw Frost Like Ashes join with Sounds Of The Dead Records for the release of "Pure As...". Though "Pure As..." was a critical success, Frost Like Ashes and SOTD parted ways in 2003. Several songs had been completed for the planned full-length, "Tophet". Due to the folding of SOTD, "Tophet" was put on hold as another label was sought. In the interim, one of the songs that was already complete, "Nightfall's Cold Kiss" was released on the internet, a compilation "A Treasury of Sorrows, and for radio play. The song garnered very good response. In the summer of 2004, things finally came together with Frost Like Ashes signing to PsychoAcoustix Records. They also solidified the line up with Qoheleth on the Keys and Ruach on Bass, after Syntyche's untimely departure from the band. Regardless of these personnel changes, Frost Like Ashes went ahead with the scheduled recording of "Tophet" in the winter of 2004. "Tophet" is now complete and with its release, Frost Like Ashes is moving ahead to vastly greater heights.
Frost Like Ashes has chosen a different path from that of most of their counterparts. While the songs are steeped in cruelty and war, it's the lifeless forms of pagan gods that lay scattered on the battlefield in the end. With many years of experience in the Death and Black Metal scenes, this new power in the metal wold is gearing up to be a shattering force that can lift American Metal back to glory. Frost Like Ashes is Death Metal at it's heaviest; Black Metal at it's most glorious; and melds it all together into a cacophony both beautiful and cruel at its very heart. Let the hammering begin.
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