Review: Harvest Of Ash ‘Castaway’

The second record from Utah‘s sludgy doom merchants Harvest Of Ash has been apparently quite the struggle to create. There have been lineup changes and injuries, all of which have slowed the creation of the follow up to their 2022 debut, Ache And Impulse. But Castaway is themed upon confronting and overcoming chaotic times, so I suppose this adversity has ended up being a fruitful inspiration for their music. Castaway is self-released and available on Bandcamp.

Opening with the title track, it’s an absolute bulldozer of roiling doom riffs powered by guttural roars and an insidious sense of melody throughout. It feels at once very classically doom in execution, but the grittiness added to it by the vocals and the guitar distortion lends it that sludgy atmosphere as well. It is a remarkably simple stylistic choice, but there are so many fun moments and crushingly heavy riffs to keep you occupied that you won’t even notice the gradually uplifting melodic lines sneaking in underneath the radar.

That’s what I found so enchanting about Castaway on my first listen, a subtly changing and uplifting tone that sets into the groove as the album progresses. You first notice it in Shine, where a quieter section matches rumbling bass and clean guitar lines in what feels almost Kyussian in nature, and as we build into the latter half of the record, that empowering post-metal tone swells into prominence.

An intoxicating blend of heavy riffs, an impeccable vibe and a hazy miasma for us to sink into and drift away…

Constellation feels a little like the heaviest moments of ISIS or Neurosis, bruising doom riffing and gruff roars that slowly descend to another section of rumbling, stoner-infused spaciousness. Closer Of Beloved Flame is probably the culmination of the growth from their debut; a muscular slab of granite hewn riffs that gradually opens itself up to a wider and more haunting world.

Castaway is not your meat and potatoes sludge doom record; Harvest Of Ash have written something remarkably nuanced and weighty within a classically sludge doom framework. You’d expect trudging, nihilistic fury-laden doom but that is not at all what you’ll get from this record. An intoxicating blend of heavy riffs, an impeccable vibe and a hazy miasma for us to sink into and drift away, it is a surprisingly subtle record. Imagine Kyuss and ISIS birthed a child of atmosphere and riffs, Harvest Of Ash would be it.

Label: Independent
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Sandy Williamson