Ashes.are.nutritious is a self-styled progrock band out of New Jersey. The band sites a number of other bands that were innovative in their time (Tool, Radiohead, Pink Floyd) as influences. One band missing in the list is Incubus. More specifically, the Fungus Amongus era Incubus, which Frustration + shares a number of features with. This CD consists of some excellent and complex rhythms and is very bass-drum centric, almost to a fault.

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As mentioned in the previous para, Gianni Scalise (bass) & Craig Lawlor (drums) are the driving force behind the band. They are quite possibly the most “together” rhythm section I’ve heard in a very long time. Craig’s skills are enough to leave a number of drummer buddies of mine speechless, and the way Gianni hammers along with Craig impresses me very much. The two are an unstoppable force. They are a fucking atom bomb, these two.

This isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but they just don’t stop. They are tireless and they rarely yield the floor to Billy Clifton (singer) and Paul Grocz (guitarist), who are both very talented, I’m sure, if given the opportunity.

Billy, being the singer, has more opportunity to shine simply because he is the voice of the band. Billy’s voice compliments the music fairly well but doesn’t always keep up with the crushing fury that is Gianni & Craig. Billy has ample range and is able to tackle different styles of vocals with ease, as is demonstrated through much of the CD. Still, sometimes it just doesn’t mesh at times.

That brings us to Paul’s guitar skills. More often than not, Paul is playing filler, adding some ambient noise that isn’t always needed or properly executed. He does utilize his effects unit(s) in a near expert fashion, but that doesn’t often bring him out of the background.

With all that being said, it’s one hell of a good CD that every bassist & drummer should check out as a near perfect example of how a bassist & drummer should play off of each other. Anyone who was fond of older Incubus (as I am) funkcore stylings will be well pleased with this disc and anyone looking for something different, something that isn’t formulaic emo/newmetal will likely see this as a refreshing change and restore some faith in the ailing music industry – something that will prove that yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he brought you Ashes.are.nutritious.

Ashes.Are.Nutritious -- Website -- MySpace

8.8/10

Pros
-    Killer rhythm
-    Funkcore – Yay!
-    Emo? Not here
-    Best Track: The Wish

Cons
-    Rhythm is overpowering
-    They’ve not come to Canada