EP Review: Ashenheart - Tales From Eternal Dusk (2025, Fiadh Productions)
- Stuart Ball
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Written: 9th April 2025
Ashenheart – with members split between the UK and the USA - emerged in early 2024, rising from the long held vision of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Amanda Kauffman, blending black and death metal with rich fantasy themes. Rooted in the ethos of the underground but with enough modern ambition to make them interesting, they gained attention with their first release Faded Gold. Now, in addition to vocalist Alex Loach and guitarist / drummer Kauffman, Steve Wiener (Am I In Trouble?, Negative Bliss) joins as a full time member and the trio return with a new four track EP – Tales From Eternal Dusk - that builds on Faded Gold but adds new facets to the band’s sound.
Opening track Empire of the Necromancers begins with mysterious guitar and gothic tinged keyboard chords before chugging, colossal riffs from Amanda Kauffman descend. A repeating guitar motif is used perfectly, unsettling but compelling as Loach begins his dark dystopian fantasy where necromancy fuels an apocalyptic regime. The ancient arcane rites / Reanimate the dead / Enslave the expired / Bend them to our will / A new world built, by death’s hand. Serving as an allegory for the dangers of unchecked power, it is a chilling meditation on ambition, control and retribution. A tempest of sound swirls through the track, yet each instrument moves with purpose, converging in a harmony that feels both chaotic and beautifully fated. While the lyrics do not deal with the subject itself, the subtle keyboard flourishes that fly high above the guitars have an almost vampiric feel; it is easy to imagine the Count himself sitting gleefully at the keyboard. Empire of the Necromancers concludes with a solo that burns with sorrow, casting a final spell of blackened grandeur.
Apparitions of the Abyss attacks from the first note, creating an oppressive atmosphere but in complete juxtaposition, Steve Wiener’s keyboard adds an element of the expansive, making for an angry meeting of sounds. Above the stomping riffs, the unrelenting lead guitar darts and circles like a pursuing swarm of irate hornets encircling the listener. Loach snarls with hideous intent as he conjures a haunting maritime mythos. Its essence haunts the ocean / The icy cold abyss / A ghostly apparition / It’s terrible presence / Still persists. Many hints towards a love of old school black metal can be found here but also present is the influence of the more cinematic aspects of bands such as Emperor.
Quest For The Secret Fire adopts a completely different persona and initially there is an atmosphere of a medieval court within the acoustic introduction. A multi-faceted track, it begins mid-tempo with dissonant guitars laying down a solid foundation and acoustic guitars providing endless arpeggios that hint at the movement and travel that is to come later in the song. Two minutes in, the pace quickens; blast beats reign down like a storm of arrows, leading towards an ominous section during which Loach half-speaks and half-sings the part of the protagonist as he prepares to embark on his quest. To venture forth in search / Is to leave behind / All that I know / But to reconnect with that once lost / Is worth the cost / So now I go. As the quest progresses, the intensity within the track steps up several times with layered guitars and thunderous percussion raising the tension with each passing moment. By the time the protagonist approaches his destination, the track reaches a frenzy of instrumentation. Widdershins round mountain peak / And through the overgrown abandoned woods / The glow on the horizon draws me / I know that soon / I will claim what is mine.
Final track Hymn To Silence The Light ramps up the aggression still further - both lyrically and musically. On a track that serves as a type of dark, spiritual protest, pounding bass and drums rumble with seismic force and Loach, wracked with suffering, howls with an agonised disdain for the world around him. Inverting the normal plea for light, the song implies a yearning for darkness in a world dominated by oppressive illumination. It penetrates / There’s no escape / It’s everywhere / And takes no shape. Weiner’s grimly orchestral synths add to the feeling of the song being a hymn. Mid-song, Loach repeats the incantation Thgil eht ekat natas O (the reverse of O Satan take the light). The protagonist seems more driven by desperation and alienation than devotion but with the song culminating in the extinguishing of celestial bodies, it might be implied that it is a direct rebellion against cosmic and divine authority. A twin guitar interlude and a faster melodic section gives momentary pause in the unbroken hail of fire. However, this is short lived and the finale of the track sees the full effect of the incantation realised as the world enters an eternal night. The constant din of illumination / Defeated now / The hymn to silence the light / The ritual complete / We’ll walk in darkness evermore. There is a brief moment of contemplation from Loach who asks in a voice that sounds resigned and exhausted, But at what cost?
There is certainly a blending of sub-genres across the EP but it would be more accurate to describe Ashenheart’s music as deathened black metal rather than blackened death metal. The aesthetic and lyrical side of the band is firmly rooted in black metal with the music, but more often the vocals stray into the death metal and even the gothic arena. The whole package is quite compelling and the songwriting – mainly by Amanda Kauffman - exudes a confident demeanour throughout the four songs; there is feeling of evolution in the band’s musical blueprint that will establish the direction they wish to pursue in the future. With an intelligent balance of atmosphere, bleakness, aggression and malevolence, fans of Immortal, Emperor, Satryicon and Darkthrone would enjoy what lies within.
Tales From Eternal Dusk is released on 18th April 2025
Ashenheart online
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