Ashes to Omens

Every so often, one may find themselves craving some raw, no-nonsense heavy rock and roll – the kind of music that dispenses with gimmicks and superficialities in order to reach straight for the heart of the everyman - and that’s just what Athens, Georgia’s Ashes to Omens provides on their eponymous debut album.

The eight track LP is chock full of monolithic mid-tempo hard rock riffs, anthemic (Slash-esque) guitar solos, and gritty, commanding vocals with the ideal level of attitude and energy for the genre. Lyrically, Ashes to Omens focuses on themes of personal and relational struggle as well as social unrest, and this results in a blood-pumping, but generally uplifting listening experience.

Album highlights include “Prayers for the Weak”, which stands out chiefly for its string section-driven pre-chorus, “The Walls”, a bluesy number which features intriguing imagery, and the aggressive closer “Demon in a Bottle”.

Groovy and gruff in the best of ways, Ashes to Omens is a solid first effort from a local hard rock group that seems to be on a mission to provide something memorable to the masses. The band has promise, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. - Georgia Local Spotlight

According to Ashes to Omens, “’The Conflict Within’ is a song about the self-realization of overcoming constant obstacles that’s in your path while dealing with and accepting your own personal failures. It’s about overcoming your own self-rejection and focusing on lifting yourself up in your darkest hour, staying positive in light of the darkness and overcoming adversity.”

Ashes to Omens is James Branton (guitar, vocals), David Gaines (lead guitar), Nathan Paul (guitar), Chris Epps (bass), and Casey Henderson (drums), or as I like to say, “In the pocket.”

Formed in July 2017, the band released their debut single, “The Screws,” one month later, followed by releasing the music video for the track a few months later. In June 2018, they dropped their self-titled debut album, which rocketed to the top of the Rock chart on Reverbnation. One month later, Ashes to Omens opened for Tom Keifer of Cinderella fame, followed by sharing the stage with Hallowpoint and Demon In Me.

Right now, the band is working on their second album, working with producer Matt Washburn at Led Belly Studios in Dawsonville, Georgia.

“The Conflict Within” opens softly on a trickling guitar, austere bass line, and side stick snare. Pause, and enter powerful growling guitars, rough and tough, backed by a tightly throbbing bass line and grand, Thor-like percussion.

Layers of guitars infuse the harmonics with high and low registers, as Branton’s soaring rasping voice unleashes supple, muscular tones. It’s a superb voice, projecting sonic pressure, along with powerful timbres, and all without screaming. The breakdown/bridge leading to the guitar solo flexes with dark, snarling surfaces, while the solo itself rips, rages, and sears with incandescent heat.

“The Conflict Within” delivers hard rock the way it should be: raw, ferocious, and full of brawny colors. Ashes to Omens wind it up. - Rawckus Magazine