Ashes Of My Regrets
Caricatures
(Self-Release)
Metalcore’s popularity has exploded (and changed significantly) in the last decade, with new bands popping up on what seems like a daily basis. They are all vying to grab the attention of music fans – some with more success than others. One group who hopes to catch your attention is the New-Jersey based outfit named Ashes Of My Regrets. They recently released their sophomore EP, titled Caricatures.
My first impression of Caricatures is that the band could benefit from spending a little bit more time on their lyrical content. They rely on some worn out platitudes, when it’s entirely possible to convey the same message through better means. Lyrics like “You’re just a pretty little liar” detract from the lyrics that are successful. If they push themselves beyond their comfort zone, they can certainly achieve more creativity in their writing.
Instruments play a huge role in eliciting emotions from the listener. They are a resource that adds significant dimension to songs. The band attempts to capture specific emotions in their songs, however at times their efforts fall a little bit short. This is apparent at the end of “Fooled Me Twice, Now Pay The Price.” The guitars are far too quiet throughout the EP, except during breakdowns or sections of songs where there isn’t singing. They do have some wins in this area though, like on “Daydreams.” This is actually the best track on the album. If the rest of the songs were on the same page as “Daydreams” this would be an entirely different EP. Honestly, the songs really just needed some more attention in post-production.
Caricatures is an improvement from their debut EP, We All Have Our Demons. The most significant change is with the singing style of both the clean and unclean vocals. The unclean vocals sometimes sound forced, so the singer should look into different screaming techniques or have some more variety in style throughout each song. The band still needs some more polishing, but they’ve already made pretty solid progress. The band has the right foundation for a memorable metalcore album – there’s just a few small things holding them back.
