From Ashes to New – “Day One” [Album Review]

The best way to describe Day One, the new album from Pennsylvania rockers From Ashes To New is to ask you to imagine something that starts off sounding like Hollywood Undead but, by the end of the album, just over half an hour later, has morphed into something closer to Linkin Park. Slayer fans have probably stopped reading by this point but, if you’re a fan of polished modern rock then there is most definitely going to be something on Day One to hook you in.

Starting off promisingly with the pumping opener “Land Of Make Believe,” Day One delivers slice after slice of slick, polished modern rock with very little in the way of filler. Big melodies and even bigger hooks jostle for your attention amidst a barrage of samples, pin-sharp riffs, and pulsing beats as the Pennsylvania rockers head down to the road signposted “massive arena rock.” Of course, you could level the argument at From Ashes To New that they’re simply taking a blueprint that, for the Hybrid Theory / Meteora generation of rock fans, was written and owned by Linkin Park but, damn, the stabbing, rap-infused nu-metal bounce of tracks like “Lost And Alone” really does get under your skin whether you want it to or not.

Now we all know that simple hooks and teenage angst were what saw nu-metal turn the rock scene on its head, but we’re in 2016 now and that boat sailed from port years ago, or so we were led to believe. This clearly isn’t the case with Day One where the angst-riddled sounds of “Breaking Now” demonstrate that From Ashes To New must have missed that memo as they’re clearly very comfortable dragging nu-metal into 2016.

While the mid-section of the album packs plenty of metallic punch on tracks like “Face The Day,” the album winds up heading down a more commercial route with offerings like “Every Second” showing that this nu-metal, rap-rock inspired outfit certainly have the ability to write the kind of big-sounding, modern rock songs that, over the years, has made plenty of bands hugely successful. The big question is, do we have room for one more?

Track Listing:

01. Land Of Make Believe
02. Further From Home
03. Lost And Alone
04. Shadows
05. Through It All
06. Face The Day
07. Downfall
08. Breaking Now
09. Every Second
10. Same Old Story
11. You Only Die Once

Run Time: 36:56
Release Date: February 26, 2016

Check out the track “Through It All” here.