Band: Embers In Ashes
Title: Sorrow Scars EP
Label: N/A
Release Date: September 2010
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- This Change
- Rescued Me
- Give Me Your Voice
- Sorrow Scars
- What You’re Made Of
Like most people, I like getting stuff in the mail. Well, except for bills and political propaganda. But other than that, I’m usually pretty stoked when something unexpectedly appears in the mailbox. This CD was no different. It arrived in a large manila envelope. Tearing it open and emptying the single slipcase into my hand felt very secret agent-ish. Because secret agents always seem to get stuff delivered to them in oversized packages. And while my envelope didn’t contain the schematics for a particle accelerator or a prototype neutron eviscerator… it was no less a welcome sight. I just kinda dig music. And while Embers In Ashes may not be poised to change the face of music as we know it, they do have the potential to shake things up a little bit.
Embers In Ashes is a 5-piece out of Birmingham, Alabama that churns out a progressive brand of melodic rock along the lines of Cold Driven, Uprise, or (“Crashings”-era) Falling Up. Heavy on the vocal harmonies and racing guitar riffs, the songs on this five song EP are a deftly played combination of musical elements. And by that I mean that there’s a whole lot going on in these songs. Not that it comes across sounding cluttered, because it doesn’t. It’s a nicely interwoven mixture of sound with the guitar usually rising to the forefront to set the pace. I think it’s worth confessing that I liked these guys from the moment the opening track began. Talk about setting the hook.
Lyrically, the spirituality is obvious without being overbearing. Messages typically touch on the topic of spiritual freedom and the joy of god’s liberation of the soul. Consider the title track “Sorrow Scars” which throws a little twist into the mix when it says, “I see the way you look at me / with desperate eyes / I hear the way you call my name / with a tremble in your voice / I don’t pretend to understand / all the pain that you’ve gone through / all I can do for you / is offer up my hand / we’ve both seen this act before/ how you play the victim/ you dig your holes just like you planned/ then you fall in them/ I see through your cheap charade/ sorrow scars / your broken heart / the past entangles you / you won’t let it go”. Or how about “What You’re Made Of” which says “I’m tired of being the one / asking all the questions / I’m tired of being the one / left all alone in the dark / I need some kind of answer / I need some kind of sign that you are there / and that you’re always with me / and I can’t always see your hand / and I know that you’re always with me / and I know you never left my side / and I can’t make my next step without your life”.
The standout track was “This Change”. As I mentioned earlier, this song opened the EP with a monstrous hook and it just flat rocks. Honestly, it was hard not to like these songs. Throughout the course of the EP, the band doesn’t really break any new ground musically, but they have definitely managed to hone their craft to a sharp cutting edge.
Overall: If you’re at all into the new breed of progressive melodic rock bands like Sent By Ravens and Silverline bursting onto the scene, Embers In Ashes is for you. The huge hooks and thoughtful lyrics should strike a chord that’ll keep you coming back for more. This EP is short but sweet and definitely worth your time to check out.
www.myspace.com/embersinashes