Search - From Ashes Rise :: Nightmares

Solid, but falls short of the split

Craig Allen Moore | Austin, TX United States | 11/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"first of all, a whole lot of people are wondering why from ashes rise are on jade tree. while it doesn't seem like the most likely home for one of the best political thrash/punk bands in the country, one can rest assured that this record is going to be everywhere and tons of people who might have never been exposed to their brand of impassioned yet depressing hardcore will hear it. unfortunately, this material just doesn't deliver the pummeling that their recent split with sweden's victims does. gone are the quasi-neurosis dirges, which often provided a different kind of rhythmic power in between manic blasts of crusty speed. i'm not sure why there aren't any of these riffs in their newest songs, but what you do get is some very well-played, very angry music that takes the head right off of just about any other band around right now who consider themselves even remotely "punk." maybe this is why jade tree decided to add them to their roster. this is not punk the way generation y has grown to know it, i.e. expensive videos, perfect hair, and boy-band choreography, but rather a chilling reflection of what the landscape may look like minutes after the warheads detonate."