Ashen - Leave The Flesh Behind - guest review
Ashen - Leave The Flesh Behind - guest review
Tracklist
01. Devourer02. Ancestral Gate
03. Aeon
04. Leave The Flesh Behind
05. Void Within
06. Ageless
07. Reincarnate
08. Infinite Sea
09. Severed
10. Blood Offering
Guest review by
LeKiwi September 29, 2025
Before ruffling some feathers, let’s just say I'm going to ruffle some feathers. I have a relatively unpopular opinion about old school death metal (OSDM). Rather than starting with those of exalted status like Entombed or Dismember, the band that first caught my attention all those years ago was one formed in tribute: Bloodbath. Following in the footsteps of the greats will only get you so far, particularly in OSDM – specifically the Swedish kind – where everyone’s home town sports a ragtag group of worshippers dropping the knee in servitude to the style born of the HM-2. To make any sort of mark in the genre. you need to stand on the shoulders of giants, or at least cling to their hair (assuming there's any left). From Breeding Death to The Fathomless Mastery, Bloodbath took inspiration from the tried and true OSDM recipe and played it with such uncharacteristic pizazz that even your sonically aggrieved neighbour would find motive to groove out.
From there, I plodded my way through OSDM’s relatively short history and its revival in recent years, aching for another band to pay homage to the greats in a way that surpasses them. With Ritual Of Ash, my wait came to an end.
Operating somewhere within the sonic overlap of Amon Amarth (‘06-’11) and Bloodbath (‘00-’04), it’s clear that Ashen drank deep from the unholy OSDM chalice, but not before edifying themselves on legendary melodic craft. Their 2023 record is of a rare breed (much like The Call Of The Wretched Sea) that paints an eldritch vista of preternatural horrors while pulling just the right strings to have you headbanging in juxtaposition. It exudes such confidence that you can’t help but writhe in exuberance. With Leave The Flesh Behind, the band seem to have made a conscious decision to hone in on the atmospheric qualities of their sound.
While I can commend them for challenging their comforts, their songwriting sensibilities somehow ended up as collateral damage. In the place of face-scrunching groove and goosebump-inducing melodic phrasing are parts that carry almost no identity. These riffs, fills, vocal lines... they’ve all been played ad nauseam the world over. On paper this ticks all the boxes, but packs a fraction of the punch. They followed the recipe without leaving much room for personalisation, and in the end there’s not much write home about here. There are a few moments scattered throughout the album to which I paused in anticipation, but every time I was led to a dried-up watering hole. “Blood Offering” is perhaps the only exception to this unfortunate outcome – balancing the ominous atmosphere with their trademark flair for making the macabre exciting – but it arrives far too late to rescue this burnt offering.
In spite of my cutting remarks, the sound is crushing and eerie throughout, with all elements working in (dis)harmony to deliver a truly nasty performance. The production is certainly one of the highlights, enwreathing the music in a veil of gloom and dread. There’s also a consistency and uniformity that wasn’t quite nailed on the previous release, and it’s a rather welcome aspect in a genre like OSDM.
It’s probably clear that I was a bit dejected when Ashen dropped that rare confluence of affinities in favour of something a bit more focused, but my outlook on their future remains positive. In 2023 they evoked my avid desire for a very particular OSDM upon which Bloodbath would have seemingly reigned eternal, and I believe they can do it again. Although I think they missed the mark with this one, I’d be interested to hear more in the vein of Leave The Flesh Behind, provided they open their cold and calculating hearts to a little more passion.
*Don’t read too much into how I rate my own cooking, seriously...
**I’m terrible at following instructions, hence the word count...
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 6 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by LeKiwi | September 29, 2025
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Hits total: 140 | This month: 7