Ashbringer - We Came Here to Grieve

Angry Metal Guy 80

I have fond memories of Ashbringer’s third record, Absolution. Now, in part, this could be put down to the fact that I wrote the review while sipping an ice cold beer by the river in the picturesque city of Hội An, Vietnam. It could also be because Absolution got me my first Record o’ the Month back in June 2019, a victory that I naturally ascribe entirely to myself, rather than to the fact that Ashbringer wrote a great, progressive black metal record, offering (to quote the Angry One) “a surprisingly tender, and charmingly raw” take on atmoblack and blackgaze. Representing a unique fusion of ideas, which also included some jazz takes in the drumming, as walls of sound crashed into lush melodies, it more than delivered on the promise of Vacant, the band’s debut (when it was, in fact, not yet a band but rather the one-man project of Ashbringer mastermind Nick Stanger, then aged just 18). Still a four-piece, albeit with some line-up changes, will Ashbringer carry on their experimental trajectory on fourth record, We Came Here to Grieve?

Ashbringer slams into you straight out of the gate on opener “Rain,” with an instant wall of heavily distorted, raw guitars and Stanger’s barking, rasping post-hardcore vox, as new drummer Andy Meyer unleashes a broadside of concussive blasts. However, this carries us less than a minute and a half into We Came Here to Grieve, as the band falls off into lush, fuzzy blues-edged melodies, then builds that intensity right back up again. And this sets the template for the record, moments—indeed entire tracks—of fragile, downtempo post-rock, with noise and atmoblack lurking around the fringes, ready to launch an assault that is so drowned in static and reverb that it borders on sludge at times.

We Came Here to Grieve by Ashbringer

Still present are the influences of Alcest and The Ocean in much of the songwriting but, on the harsh tracks (“Rain” and “There” particularly), the sound leans more into Celestial-era ISIS-meets-Converge. This probably accounts for less than half of We Came Here to Grieve’s 44-minute run, however. For a decent chunk of the record, Ashbringer serve up springy post-rock that borders on Incubus in places (“Pages,” “Gazed” and “Here”), although each of these passages is tempered as Stanger modulates his clean vocals with his harsh. Stanger and Jackson Catton’s guitars equally shift seamlessly between pacey, bluesy melody and those rough, distorted ISIS-esque tones. Laced into the record also are some gorgeous leads and solos (see the last minute or so of “Pages,” for example), while in other moments Ashbringer shifts into a discordant stomp worth of late-career Dillinger (“Unsaid”) and a rumbling broodiness, moving into staccato impacts that reminded me of early Textures (“Permanence”).

Every bit as charming and unique as Absolution, We Came Here to Grieve is arguably even more experimental and takes far more risks, particularly in its clean melodic passages, than Ashbringer’s last record. The band has also taken nearly half an hour off the runtime of Absolution, which was the right call and allows you to take in the increasingly disparate elements of their sound, without getting lost. While it’s certainly true that, when it comes to his clean vocals, Incubus’ Brandon Boyd, Stanger is not. However, there is a sort of vulnerable authenticity to his voice that means he gets away with it. Just. While it appeared to be divisive in the comments, I liked Ian Sutherland’s jazz-influenced work on drums last time out and it’s a shame that his replacement, Meyer, is slightly less experimental behind the kit (although that’s not to undermine his good work behind the kit). Potentially the most divisive element of We Came Here to Grieve will be the sound. The whole thing retains a rough, raw edge but, in a move I don’t think I have come across before, the record is mixed by three different members of the band, with Stanger taking charge of the first four tracks, bassist Nathan Wallestad the next four and Meyer the final two. That does lead to a slightly inconsistent listening experience, particularly in the transition from Stanger to Wallestad’s parts, with Stanger’s vocals sometimes too high in the mix.

These gripes are minor, however. Overall, Ashbringer has delivered another beautifully crafted and emotive record, sitting right at the junction of atmoblack, sludge, and noise, and now successfully blending into the mix post-rock. They also show how, if you wish to use interludes¹ to do it properly (“Rift” and, arguably, “Far,” although the band might dispute that categorization). Flowing, multifaceted and genuinely different, We Came Here to Grieve, is the equal of, and possibly surpasses, Absolution.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: nothingspace records
Websites: ashbringermusic.bandcamp.com| facebook.com/ashbringermusic
Releases Worldwide: September 29th, 2023

The post Ashbringer – We Came Here to Grieve Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.