Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright
Billy Howerdel – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Devo Keenan – Cello
Josh Freese – Drums
Who in the world is Ashes Divide? Well it’s a little of this and a little of that. The lead man in the band is
one that night not be an everyday name, but is defiantly respected amongst his peers. Billy Howerdel got his start as a tech
for a much know band named Tool and then created A Perfect Circle. After calling if quits for A Perfect Circle, Howerdel didn’t waste anytime and starting
the work for a new project with Freese and another Keenan. Now that the pieces are in place the debut release Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright, hits stores via Island Records and the determination of Howerdel to keep
his drive alive. The album begins with a killer tune “Stripping Away.” It has a cool lyric trail from start to
finish with awesome vocals and a dark sound to it. “Denial Waits” defiantly is sound oriented. The vocals seem
really distant and hard to grab a hold. It does add in some backing vocals, but those are even harder to hear. “Too
Late” puts forth a multiple layered effort with the keys, mixed with a simple drum beat and raspy and intentionally
distorted vocals. “Forever Can Be” displays the emotion within the band and the potential that wants to come out.
There are also a couple pretty good riffs and beat sprinkled throughout. “Enemies” could easily be one of the
standout tracks on the album. With a funky sound in the beginning that gets you interested in the track quickly and it continues
throughout the track. The vocals seem to be the focus of this track as they are not a distant sounding as others on the album.
“Ritual” seems to focus on the vocals and lyrics more than anything else. It has a simple drum beat and a driving
keys. “The Prey” offers a cool be and is probably the best track on the album. It’s the most upbeat track
on the album and displays an awesome sound. Overall it’s just okay. Coming from A
Perfect Circle, Howerdel seems to have practice and enhanced his writing skills, but the album
is just missing something. There needs to be a rockier side of it and not as much low key, simple sound. A nice kick in the
ass sprinkled in this album would have jumped it up a few more notches.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
My favorite tracks:
Forever
Can Be, Enemies, The Prey
Track List:
1.
Stripping Away
2.
Denial Waits
3.
Too Late
4.
Forever Can Be
5.
Defamed
6.
Enemies
7.
A Wish
8.
Ritual
9.
The Stone
10. The
Prey
11. Sword
Website (s): www.ashesdivide.com, www.islandrecords.com