Search - Warhorse :: As Heaven Turns to Ash

Apocalyptic Doom Metal crushes all comers.

Into | everywhereandnowhere | 01/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bludgeoning Doom...Crushing Subsonic Bass with Obscenely Overdriven Guitar --these words are paraphrased from the Band's website. I normally wouldn't even consider starting out a review with pre-release propaganda from a band or label's website, but, y'know what? These guys may actually be one of the relatively few metal bands who can back up their cocky claims of supremacy.As someone who's been loving metal since the seventies, I've never been more puzzled by a retro movement that this latest "stoner/doom metal" craze. First of all, I bet Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill, themselves, are shrugging at how revered their sludgy, bass heavy, sound has become thirty years later; and, secondly, much of this latest wave of "doomania" doesn't really sound much like the music it's trying to emulate anyway, with tempos way slower than vintage Sabbath, and growled, death metal vocals (such as those of Bongzilla and Burning Witch), which are far removed from Ozzy's menacing wail.All of the above said, when it's as good as the new Warhorse does it here, who cares about authenticity? These guys have been around since the mid-nineties, already having undergone "Spinal Tap-esque" personnel changes, but just in time for the REAL new millenium they have exploded on to the scene like a depth charge with their first full length album. This power trio makes no promises of early 'seventies authenticity, referring instead to this dose of dusk-'til-dawn doomy dirges as being like "death metal on quaaludes." First of all, yes, the vocals are gruff, but they are effectively recessed into the thick smoke of guitar fuzz; and the inananely stoned out lyrics are sparse, so that the album feels more instrumental than anything else. Secondly, the quiet "flowers and beads" interludes are mostly acoustic, quite effective, and authentic-sounding (not the electronic, almost ambient stuff, that many retro albums try to pass off as "spacey psych." music) with an eastern flavor, that feels like walking through a heavy haze of incense into a c.1970 drug den with beads hanging in the doorway. Then, of course, these 2-4 minute "soothing, trance-inducing interludes," as the official Warhorse website's album description calls them, are rudely offset by 8-10 minute viciously viscous tar pit death marches, with classic titles like "Lysergic Communion." If anyone's wondering about the sound quality (although that's usually not a primary concern with albums like this), it has amazing transparency and dynamic range, for such a dense, distorted, and "maxed out" recording. If you have any interest at all in ULTRA heavy, over-the-top, subterranean sounds, and you like to hear it extra low and slow, at least once in awhile (like Saint Vitus; Electric Wizard; Cathedral's, Forest of Equilibrium; Earth 2; or Type O Negative's, World Coming Down), and you don't like or need a bunch of synth/keyboards in your metal, you probably NEED to have this album. I normally can't stand reviews that make claims like this, but...I have to wonder, at least: is this the doom metal album to end all doom metal albums?"

Like being bludgeoned with a sack full of molasses

Jeremy Ulrey | Austin, TX | 02/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If stoned zombies played pissed off death metal, it would most likely resemble the formidable tar pit rock of Warhorse. Stumbling inebriates attempting to walk the line between doom metal and pot rock have forever blurred the distinction between the genres with each accidentally inspired step, and it's in their still fresh path that Warhorse prepare for battle. With who seems to be a moot point. These boys are just looking for a fight. "As Heaven Turns To Ash" appears to be burning on a colossal roundup of the world's remaining fossil fuels, belching fire and spitting acid from the depths of a brimming smokestack. The semi-acoustic interludes "Amber Vial" and "Dawn" by comparison can only be mourning the fact that current technology does not allow the band to get any heavier. So fill the bong one last time and raise a toast to Armageddon."

Heavy, Heavy, Heaviest

Aaron G. Rhoads | Paris, IL USA | 05/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this simply from a recommendation that it was similar to Electric Wizard, and also because of the sticker on the front that said "Heaviest debut of the Millenium". That is definately true. While the music is akin to Electric Wizard more that any other band, I have to say that the album sounds much less rough, much more polished than any of the Electric Wizard albums. Also they break up the lengthy, doomy vocal tracks with surprising and almost beautiful musical interludes. An impressive mix of great musicianship and super-heavy riffs. One of the best albums in the genre I've ever purchased, and definately the heaviest."