A third album in 4 years for this Devon-based UK black metal project, 2007’s ‘Yggdrassil’ was initially intended to be the final release from this heathen unit. Nevertheless, mainman (and sole remaining member) Davidian has come out of self-imposed exile to release ‘Runeworks’ 8 tracks of passionate Paganism shrouded in an ambience of hazy obscurity and misty monochromatics.
Whether the current resurgence in heathen/nature-worshiping black metal within the UK is what has inspired this comeback or not is unclear, however Davidian has staunchly eschewed the (relatively) lush production values of his peers in favour of a resolutely underground, harsh and distinctly old-school sound. The guitars are pure ‘2nd-hand Zoom Pedal into a 4-track’, the drum machine (I assume it is one) is barely audible and the vocals are a distant, ghastly shriek. It’s heavily reminiscent of Black Funeral circa ‘Empire of Blood’ or Xasthur’s more underground efforts – namely cavernous reverb, surges of eerie synth and an undercurrent of menace. Conceptually, the album treads an increasingly familiar path of what I would brand ‘aggressive heathenism’ – talk of old oaths, altars, ancient blood and similar terminology. Of course, to some, ‘aggressive heathenism’ could well be a synonym for ‘National Socialism’. Make of this what you will but Ashes have certainly been around long enough to understand the implications of the aesthetics/ideas they deploy.
So far - so standard - and with this familiar stew of ingredients in place, mainman Davidian does little to raise the musical contents of Runeworks above mere competence. Maybe I’m a little jaded, but to these ears it really does take more than reverb-drenched treble-heavy distortion, the odd splash of synth and some shrieking to concoct a captivating black metal experience. Moments of ‘Wooden Altars’ and ‘Battlefields’ spring to life when the keyboards and guitars sinuously entwine to create a unique wash of melancholy but it’s hard to decipher whether these moments are intentional or simply a side effect of the near-indecipherable recording values. Davidian clearly has the ability to weave a spell but one can’t help but think that Runeworks isn’t showcasing this to the full. The album screams ‘bedroom’ from every fibre of its being and whilst there’s certainly room for lo-fi, obscure and chilling black metal in every enthusiast’s collection, Ashes haven’t really done enough here to distinguish themselves.
http://www.myspace.com/runeworks
