A sudden and unannounced release is something that has become expected of NW Baker and his one-man Melodic Black/Death/Doom Metal band Ashes of Old. This latest offering Deterioration is no exception and, without build up or hype, released digitally on November 5th and on cassette November 9th, with CD and Vinyl options coming in the near future.
Deterioration is a years worth of work, on top of a split EP with Apocalyptic Leaders and a single, packed into 8 songs. Baker, is never one to shy away from taking risks in his music. Pulling inspiration, as always, from Norwegian Black Metal, but also borrowing elements from folk/pagan metal he has taken his progressed guitar, vocal, and recording skills and molded them into his greatest work to date. Another aspect that lends itself to the Ashes of Old sound is the desert meets forest landscape of home base in Central Oregon. There is a combination of city and societal issues with nature and the harsh landscapes of colliding ecosystems. Deterioration is a raw, blackened death metal album that is brutal, yet melodic(bringing in that classic and symphonic Norwegian Black Metal sound), with the vastness of the natural world.
The opening track “Darkest Night of the Winter” invites a sense of safety with its clean intro. But that is quickly ripped away as static meets tremolo picking on heavily distorted guitars blasts its way in. As the layers of this song peel away, the melody and percussive rhythm take over and reveal an almost classically orchestral composition. There is a depth beyond the brutality that sets up an anticipation to the rest of the album.
“Ascending the Path of Giants” is as big as the title suggests. The melodic backing tones dips the song into a more European Extreme Metal sound. It still holds elements of Black Metal at its core, but the powerful drums and overlaid harmony and lead guitar parts take it into new territory. It is the shortest song time wise on the album, but has everything one would want from this style of music. For “Nature of Reality” the intro guitars are cleaner in sense of distortion, but have a fuzziness à la late 60s/early 70s proto-Metal that was unexpected. The lead guitar and bass playing deservedly received several listens. The gallop of the bass paired with the structure of the guitar parts is on a whole new plain as compared to the Ashes of Old self titled album, and even the other releases this year. This sound is really coming into its own as an established style for Ashes of Old.
“Colossal Shift of Tides” digs in and holds on. The heavy punch of the beginning gives way to a progressive modern Black Metal approach with a more technical instrumentation. While blast beats and rapid fire drumming obviously have their place, to include this song, they aren’t needed as a constant as can happen with a lot of what comes out from under the Black Metal and Extreme Metal umbrellas. This song has a lot going on in both rhythm and harmony, but is never muddy or overly complicated. The tempo changes, fills, transitions, and almost Jazz-like/early Rock & Roll flow would be killer to watch played on a live drum kit. The addition of choir-esque chants makes “Colossal Shift of Tides” an easy favorite and a clear direction for Ashes of Old to maintain.
As the album passes the halfway mark, “Tales of Darker Times” takes us on a journey without a destination or intent of an end. It conjures images of snowy mountain tops and dark wooded forest floors. Wind howls through the trees as a raven flies overhead. There is much that can be said about the technical and musical aspects of the song, but the song itself just lets the mind wander until lost in some scenic landscape and forgotten age. Which leads perfectly into the next song, “Mongrel”. “Tales of Darker Times” didn’t just bring about visions, it summoned a beast. The softer intro gives a false sense of calm that is then torn open by snarls, growls, and screeching guitar. “Mongrel” is the raw savagery of previous releases with the refinement of the rest of Deterioration.
“Ancient Spirit of the Mountain”, much like “Colossal Shift of Tides”, just feels like the right direction. It may be a bias and only one opinion, but this is it. It is pure, it is heavy, it is musically technical, and it is perfectly arranged and layered with darkness, dynamic percussion, sweeping harmonies, and ferocious vocals. This is where Blackened Metal is going.
The albums closer, is also its title track, “Deterioration”. Interestingly enough, the song length is the same as the opener at 5:12 and also features similar framework to “Darkest Night of the Winter”. A softer intro gives way to a heavier attack. Having “Deterioration” close out the album was a wise choice. It has an atmospheric feel to it that is constantly building. The clean lead out also gives it a satisfying closure.
Ashes of Old has really captured a modernized and refined take on the classic Black Metal sound. It may not follow the strict rules of purists, but NW Baker is not someone who lets their music or creativity be held back by genre specifics. Deterioration shows a major growth in not only skill and musicianship, but in songwriting and originality. The album is out now, streaming on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, with cassettes, and soon CDs available from Rotting Sun Records. A vinyl pressing is also planned for 2024. Check it, and all things Ashes of Old, out at the links below!
