From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, comes Progressive Metal band FALL OF EARTH with their sophomore release here titled "From the Ashes." From their EPK, "The album is a consistent ride full of ups and downs, with no breaks. We've taken our heavy sections and made them heavier and taken our softer sections and made them more impactful. We have carefully calculated all the dynamics and structures of each song so each second of every track serves a purpose. This record has pieces of us personally etched into the music, so we could share who we are and what our minds look like on an audio basis. As far as the listening experience goes, with all this being said, we hope for our fans to feel the love and importance that music has had on our lives, and pass that on to them through our own interpretation." The album has nine songs.

"Medusa" is the first. Following some background ambiance, a heavy, aggressive, and somewhat melodic sound enters. The vocals vary from gutturals, to screams, to semi-cleans, and the bass thuds away underneath. The guitar work is fairly intricate as well. "The Dead and Soon to be" is a moody mid-tempo song. Although the band are talented, the riffs need some updating. I like the clean sections in this song. They are a nice contrast to the more aggressive ones. "Block Out the Sun" begins with clean tones and a somber feeling. This song has a totally different vibe than the previous two...it borders on Alternative Metal, especially in the way the vocals are sung.

"Path to Self Destruction" is another aggressive song but again, the riffs need updating. They sound too much like riffs that have been done before. With the talent this band has, they should be saying "fuck convention" and heading off on their own path. "Crossroads" is a bit different. The clean vocalist has a nice voice, but I don't care for the cadence or the ley at times. Some of the melodies are fairly catchy, however, and I like the sober ambiance in this song. "From the Ashes" has some meaty bass notes to go along with the harsh vocals. Although the aggressive nature of the song is noteworthy, the riffs again are just too simple. Not in their final sound, but rather their approach. It takes a steady picking hand to keep up for sure. "Shores of War" features rageful vocal screams and some nifty drum fills, but again, the band comes back to the same style of riffing once more. The lead guitar work is pretty solid, however.

"Purgatory" embraces the band's more experimental approach, and I say let these songs ride through. If nothing else, it keeps the album diverse. Some of the melodies are a bit dissonant however, and there isn't always a connection between the vocals and the music. "Into the Woods" closes the album. It opens with more sober clean guitar tones. This sound might be where the band is at their best, in my opinion. The vocal harmonies are also on point, but the vocals take a couple circuitous directions. Overall, this was a pretty good album from a band that is talented but needs to work on putting more of their own personality into the compositions. The nine songs present some real diversity in the genre by embracing several different approaches, but I believe the band played it too safe.