Meltdown

by

Ash

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Meltdown was supposed to be released here in the US months and months ago. But Ash's record label went into bankruptcy just as it was about to drop, and so the record never saw the light of day until now.

It was only a couple of years ago during the release of Free All Angels that Ash were being touted as candidates for breakout US success, but that time has come and gone. Meltdown isn't anywhere near as pop-friendly as that record. In fact, it's a metal record. And one of the better metal records of the past few years.

And when I say "metal," I'm not talking about six-minute dirges sung by 17 year-olds trying to sound like 52-year-olds. If you're looking for that, go by a Slipknot album and bang your head against a desk. For those of us that grew up in the 80's, the magical decade that provides VH1 its only source of revenue, standard metal revolved around riffage, riffage, and more riffage. And so it is with Meltdown, an 11-song battering ram of chunky guitar goodness. The riffs on "Clones" and the title track can pretty much lay waste to any set of eardrums, while "Evil Eye" and "Vampire Love" bring back 80's style goth (think Ozzy's Bark at the Moon), which was always wayyyyy more fun than 90's style goth (think being forced to take a poetry class at RISD).

But the centerpiece of Meltdown remains "Orpheus", a song that masterfully blends Ash's pop knowhow with their thunderous guitar attack. The bridge alone has a Chill Factor of about 12. It was by far the best song of 2004, and now it's available to you without the hefty import price tag. Lucky you.

With Meltdown, Ash continue their streak as one of Briitain's most versatile and hard-rocking outfits. They may never reach soaring heights here in the US. But they remain a hidden rock treasure for anyone willing to look hard enough. At least now you can look for Meltdown without crossing the Atlantic.

Received my copy of the latest installment of the Ash saga, Meltdown; after spending a few days with it I thought it time to write a review that reflects what I feel. A disclaimer before I begin: if you cannot accept any criticism of your favorite band whatsoever and believe that every little scrap is infallible genius, go ahead and flame my review and skip on until you reach a 5-star rating you approve of. Me? I call them as I see them and if that means something doesn't sit right, even if I adore the band, well that's why they have ratings from 1 to 5. Even the Beatles made horrible music, so deal with it.

Having said that, Meltdown is a pretty good album by a great band. The hooks are there, the production is pretty clear, and it's a fairly consistent album. The rumors must be true: Rick traded his soul to receive the strength of ten drummers, all of whom must be named Thor, because the drums sound great.

Ready to flame me? Here's the major problem I have with Meltdown (and indeed, a lot of Ash's output since 1977); weak songwriting. Tim Wheeler has yet to find a vocal range he's really comfortable with to write tunes worthy of their power. In a concert setting, that's not really an issue, but on record it can really affect how you enjoy the music. He has a delicate voice, but he can push it effectively. Listen to "Live at the Wireless" for proof of that. A lot of Meltdown suffers from vocals that sound too strained, too tinny, or too far away from the microphone to deliver the emotional punch the songs require. And let's be frank, Charlotte's vocals are great, but they don't have to appear on every song. If you only write songs with a wah pedal, after a while, you forget why adding it makes it special. Wait, maybe that's not the best analogy...

Also, and I hate to say it, but the band needs to hide Tim's rhyming dictionary because it's getting a bit stale. You're 27 Tim, but Clones sounds like it was written by a 13 year old Slipknot fan living in Croydon who complains that no-one cherishes how sensitive they are for writing such "heavy" lyrics.

In spite of the above, Meltdown is a good album that displays their able strengths and charts some interesting developments as a unit. I can't say I'm completely over the moon about every track, but that's the case with a lot of my favorite bands. I'm not saying I can write better tunes (hell, who doesn't want to be in this band) nor am I saying that Ash isn't great. It's just really tough to write good albums that challenge listener's perceptions while keeping the fan base happy. You know it, I know it, REM knows it, Oasis knows it, and Ash knows it. I don't envy having the pressure to follow up an album as tight as Free All Angels, so they're to be applauded for what they've done. But if they can loosen up a little bit and nail their songwriting, they'll be unstoppable.