Influenced by the likes of Five Finger Death Punch and Breaking Benjamin, Michigan’s Five Hundredth Year is a metal band that hits you unrelentingly hard. On their brand new EP, A Rose From Ashes, the band gifts you a collection of seven face melting, cinematic jams that are sure to become new favorites among metal heads. The guitar hooks are monstrous, and John Pampreen’s vocals are thunderously guttural. Although not the heaviest nor the most aggressive, they more than make up for this with a strong sense of melody and theatricality that only intensifies as the extended play progresses.
From “Awaken In Silence to “Violent Descent,” there is nothing subtle about this album, but the concepts and ideas are gleefully larger than life. With guitars and screaming so loud, it’s difficult to imagine keyboards being even remotely audible on the recordings, but they add fantastic layers of depth and texture to songs like “Stand Up,” and especially “Talking Body.” The latter is the EP’s lead single, and it easily makes sense. The irresistible pop hooks of it allow for further experimentation elsewhere in the tracklisting, and bassist Brenda Bennett’s backing vocals are a great touch. If you haven’t yet heard of A Rose From Ashes, this is one of the year’s releases you do not want to sleep on.
