Published: May 16, 2015

Featuring Barre Gambling from Candlelight artist Daylight Dies, Atten Ash is a trio offering us here their debut album released in digital format by the band 3 years ago, in 2012, and picked up by Hypnotic Dirge and re-released in Digipack CD format this year, a very good decision by the hardworking Canadian label. The 8 tracks featured here, totaling 50 minutes, are a deep, emotional, mesmerizing descent in a depressing and nostalgic atmo...

Published: May 2, 2015

As soon as we thought decent melodic doom/death had gone bankrupt, comes this little album by an American unheralded three-piece group and proves us completely fucking wrong. The excellent Canada-based Hypnotic Dirge Records has picked, like it occasionally does, an independently released album nobody has heard about (originally self-released in 2012), provides it with a new (and usually awesome) packaging and artwork, and re-release...

Published: April 6, 2015

It does not take genius to figure out that Atten Ash founder James Greene is a fan of Daylight Dies. He and the band hail from the same state (North Carolina), play a form of emotive, melancholy death/doom metal, and to top things off, he recruited current Daylight Dies guitarist Barre Gambling to play guitars and keyboards on the band’s debut album, The Hourglass.  And while the line between  rip off and homage is clearly blurry...

Published: March 24, 2015

Quite interesting sounds, the pattern and the roll this band's giving to us; a gloomy night-sky over a sleepy land dressed in pale – would that fit in the concept of ATTEN ASH? This full-length of pitch-black emotion, an aggression inside a slow-motion, a classic finesse of Death\\Doom Metal with addition of melodies, was recorded in 2012, as an independent release, but then Hypnotic Dirge Records took the strings and re-released it, l...

Published: March 19, 2015

When people try to classify ‘doom metal’, it used to be easy. Things like early Anathema and Disembowelment pioneered the doom movement, which was slow, loud, and grim. However, as time went on, the genre seemed to gain more diverse influences. Katatonia added melody and cleans to the genre, and bands like In Mourning and Be’Lakor added elements of post-metal and melodic death metal to give it a new, modern feel. With so man...

Published: March 8, 2015

2014 was an amazing year for death metal and now the doom/death subgenre seems to have hit something of a purple patch. We’ve just had Exgenesis’ amazing debut EP, an excellent EP courtesy of Aetherian, Dantalion slipped in a great album just before the end of 2014 and now Atten Ash step up with their debut album, The Hourglass. Atten Ash were founded by James Greene who is the main creative force behind the music. In 2011, he hooke...

Published: March 5, 2015

The Hourglass, Atten Ash’s debut album was originally recorded back in 2012 and has only recently been released on Hypnotic Dirge Records. A three piece band from North Carolina, their brand of atmospheric death / doom metal should sit them in good company with HDR, and with Barre Gambling of Daylight Dies as one of the three members alongside Archie Hunt and founder James Greene we should certainly be expecting quality from the...

Published: February 27, 2015

There´s something very honest and noble about wearing your influences on your sleeve and yet manage to create something that´s your own. To me, that´s smart and quite an achievement in itself. Originally self-released back in 2012, “The Hourglass” by sorrowful U.S. trio Atten Ash now gets its rightfully deserved treatment, which sees Hypnotic Dirge Records releasing it worldwide.

This renewed debut album takes you on a ...

Published: February 24, 2015

Three-piece NC atmospheric death doom combo Atten Ash bear deep roots in the scene, despite only becoming an entity in 2011; Barre Gambling & Archie Hunt cut their teeth in heavyweight acts Daylight Dies and Legion of the Fallen before joining forces with founder James Greene. This collective muscle memory helped to carry an already fully realized vision from the start, with their formative period dedicated to crafting a formidable co...

Published: February 24, 2015

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a melodic doom/melodeath album that did anything special for me. When done right, the music in this subgenre can provide some of the more enjoyable examples of modern metal. Early Opeth, October Tide, Be’Lakor and Daylight Dies are some prime examples of this and, fortunately, the new release from North Carolina’s Atten Ash, The Hourglass, can be added to this list.

It’s hardly a surprise, t...

Published: February 24, 2015

This debut album from North Carolina outfit Atten Ash originally was released independently in 2012. Now it gets some proper attention via Hypnotic Dirge records and well it should considering this band comprises of Barre Gambling of Daylight Dies along with Jason Greene and Archie Hunt (of Legion Of The Fallen). It should therefore come as no surprise that this lot play atmospheric death doom and they have the style firmly gras...

Published: February 22, 2015

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The Hourglass is Atten Ash their first full length, supplying us with a 50 minutes long mixture of Death Metal and Doom Metal. Atten Ash play a rather melodic side of Doom, which I must say I strongly approve of. There is some absolutely beautiful guitarwork on this album. The lyrics were a bit simplistic in my opinion, but the quality of the vocals (both clean and raw), along with the impressive instrumentals guiding them, more tha...

Published: February 19, 2015

Over North Carolina a black cloud called Atten Ash lingers, bearing doom for all who fall under its spell. Doom of the bleakest sort, of a blackening of the eyes and heart; doom of the soul. These guys make seriously heavy, heavy music.

Recorded in 2012 but not seeing official physical release until 2015, The Hourglass is a very melodic death doom album that is like being hit by a bus. The songs contained within are a littl...

Published: February 14, 2015

Atten Ash hail from North Carolina, and both they and this debut album have been around longer than you might think. Originally founded by James Greene - clean vocals, guitar, bass, drums - the line-up was completed in 2011 by Barre Gambling (founder of Daylight Dies, amongst others) on guitars and keyboards, along with growl vocalist Archie Hunt (from Black Metallers Legion Of The Fallen). The trio then went on to complete Greene's...

Published: January 27, 2015

Talk about a buried treasure! Atten Ash is made up of founder James Greene (who contributes drums, bass, guitar, and clean vocals) alongside Daylight Dies’ Barre Gambling (who provides guitar and keys) and Legion of the Fallen’s Archie Hunt (who does the growling). Originally released independently back in 2012, The Hourglass somehow avoided everyone’s radar (though how remains a mystery upon hearing it), Hypnotic Dirge Records ...

Published: January 21, 2015

Hailing from North Carolina, Atten Ash create intoxicating death-doom that blends the majestic freedom and expressiveness of Hamferd with the heavyweight despondency of Daylight Dies. The latter connection is hardly surprising, with Barre Gambling, founding guitarist of Daylight Dies, wielding the axe here.

Atten Ash are generous guys, it seems. They pack a hell of a lot of ideas into each song, resulting in an extremely rich and f...