Irreversible - Ashes

Atlanta, Georgia is the home of more than a few heavyweights in the Sludge Metal scene, notable mentions include both Mastodon and Baroness. With a scene that continues to thrive, it's always worth keeping an eye on what the underground scene in that city has to offer. A short while ago I came across Irreversible, a band who have recently released 'Ashes'; a four track album that clocks in around the 35 minute mark and is available for free on their bandcamp.

The album opens with a track called 'prime'. It gets off to a slow start before it bursting into a stomping heavy riff. The vocals are strong but never overpower the rest of the band, instead, it seems to be nestled in-between everything else that's going on and remains rather minimal, which works perfectly. The song is over nine minutes long, and never really deviates far from where it begins, yet enough is done to keep the listener engaged, whether it be the pounding double kick around the 4 minute mark, the sections of spoken word, or the ever present haunting vocals in the background, this song manages to make the nine minutes feel like a passing moment.

Instantly, there is a noticeable difference as the first song slowly fades into the second track, which begins with a electronic influenced introduction. After the electronically induced intro, however, the song storms ahead in a barrage of dirty riffs that are complimented by the huge sounding drums. This is, without a doubt, the most full-on track on the album, with a noticeable lack of any substantial use of dynamics. Instead, it chooses to get its point across by producing a relentless amount of crushing riffs.

The last track on the album is without a doubt the stand out track of the four. Not only because it is so vastly different to the rest of the tracks, although it does feature many of the same elements, but mainly because of the atmosphere that it manages to create. This final song has more in common with Cult of Luna and Mouth of the Architect that it does with the likes of Baroness or Mastodon. Although elements of sludge remain, the pure grandeur that surrounds this song is more in line with the aforementioned post-rock heavyweights. Nothing feels forced here, as everything just seems to flow effortlessly. Furthermore, as I press the repeat button, I can't help but notice how well the first and the final song manage to flow into each other, leaving the album feeling as though it is a complete, well rounded piece of work that manages to come full circle. Overall, it's simply a stunning piece of work.

Download the EP here - Bandcamp

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