Instant Impressions: 'Blackout' by From Ashes to New

There’s not a lot of sense in beating around the bush at this point – From Ashes to New is the band I’ve seen live the most times and I’ve been a hardcore fan for five years out of their decade-long career, so to say that their latest album, Blackout, is one of my most anticipated releases of the year would be an understatement. The Pennsylvanian nu-metal crew has had an insane trajectory throughout their career, with the ceiling yet to be seen. Along with their musical evolution, the band has cultivated a passionately dedicated fanbase over the course of their short career with new followers emerging after each live performance, expedited by countless festival appearances and support slots for larger acts that expose their sound to an even broader audience.

Blackout has been marketed as the prequel to From Ashes to New’s 2016 debut album Day One, which spawned hits like “Through it All,” “Every Second,” and “Breaking Now.” The preemptive singles from Blackout – “Heartache,” “Until We Break,” “Nightmare,” “Hate Me Too,” and “Armageddon” – have already made a big splash both on the airwaves and on the stage, with hugely enthusiastic reactions stemming from both sides. Finally, it’s time to listen through the entire album – feel free to listen along and follow my real-time track-by-track reactions below:

1. Heartache (3:45)

• The chorus is normally the catchiest part of a song, but I have to admit that rapper Matt Brandyberry’s verses here are top notch – the cadence, the lyrics, everything is memorable
• No matter how many times I’ve heard this song, even live, I always forget about the bridge at 2:47-3:19
• Interesting track to open the album with, but I’m not mad at it 

2. Nightmare (3:07) 

• I always thought this was going to be the opening track to the album, at least out of all the singles – it made for a great concert opener the last time I saw them
• Given how much he does so in a live setting, I still can’t believe this was Brandyberry’s first time screaming in the studio

3. Hate Me Too (3:30)

• Out of the singles that were released beforehand, this one was my favorite – super catchy, love the vocals and melodies from both Brandyberry and Danny Case
• Don’t ask why, but I’ve always found this song similar to their hit “Crazy”
• SUPER fun music video too, easily my favorite from the band

4. Hope You’re Happy (3:36)

• Wasn’t at all prepared for the breakdown from 2:01-2:23
• Love the guitar work from 3:02-3:24
• If “Gone Forever” and “Wait for Me” were mixed together, it would be this song

5. Barely Breathing (3:08)

• With most of the singles being very in-your-face and aggressive, it’s nice that there’s still songs that are a little more low-key like this on the album
• The bridge to the end is probably my favorite part of the song – love the vocal layers in the bridge and the transition to the final chorus

6. Dead To Me (3:19)

• Intro already has me hooked 
• Chorus sounds absolutely huge – curious to see how this would be in a live setting
• Best breakdown of the album so far *chef’s kiss*

7. Monster In Me (3:34)

• Instantly a standout track
• There are a few songs where Case is the primary vocalist, but I can’t think of any examples that highlight Brandyberry vocally like this one (maybe “Change My Past,” but still)
• Coming from someone who likes the rock side of nu-metal more than rap, I wouldn’t be mad if the band made more songs like this

8. Echoes (3:27)

• Love the synths in the intro after the 15-second mark
• Big fan of the rapping melody in this song and how it’s noticeably different from the norm for them
• Super tight transitions, especially from the chorus to the bridge

9. Armageddon (3:33)

• When it comes to the evolution of a band and the progression of their production level sounding bigger and bigger, this is a great example of that for From Ashes to New
• Wicked strong breakdown
• There’s something about this that reminds me of Day One track “Downfall” – melodies are very similar, and I can’t help but wonder if that was intentional

10. Legacy (3:39)

• It’s nice to have another one of those back-and-forth pre-choruses like in “Panic”
• This is a song that sounds like it would’ve been a perfect fit on their 2018 album The Future
• The breakdown alone makes me feel like this would be a great song to play live

11. Until We Break (3:34)

• With this being one of the first singles, it’s hard not to feel like it’s gotten overplayed, but it’s also hard to deny how catchy it is
• Can confirm this is a great live track
• Memphis May Fire was a band I always heard a lot about but never really listened to, but it’s cool to hear their impact on this song with Matty Mullins’ feature

12. Broken By Design (3:05)

• Intro has a very throwback sound, especially from the synths
• Probably the hardest-hitting song from start to finish – very energetic, fantastic vocals from Case, and the breakdown is just vicious
• Best song to close out the album

With such a young career, it’s easy to view From Ashes to New as a band that’s just getting started, but it couldn’t be further from the opposite – having four full-length albums, five EPs, countless singles, and even more tours and festival performances under their belt is not something to scoff at, and Blackout is the culmination of all those achievements in musical form. At this stage of their career, From Ashes to New has never been bigger, and Blackout reflects that in all areas, from the songwriting to the production. Despite the apocalyptic themes and conceptual tie-ins to their debut album, this release feels like the biggest step forward rather than a look to the past.

Blackout is From Ashes to New’s most sonically diverse release, with the aggression of “Nightmare,” the upbeat energy of “Hate Me Too,” and the laid-back earnestness of “Barely Breathing” and “Echoes.” Nu-metal is a genre that’s more eclectic than it’s given credit for, and From Ashes to New does a great job exemplifying that with this album, coupled with their status as one of the hottest bands in the genre today. 

From Ashes to New is in the home stretch of the Dark Horizon Tour, supporting Motionless in White and In This Moment with Fit for a King. To see the remaining dates and buy tickets, click here.

After this initial listen, my top 3 standout tracks are:

• “Hope You’re Happy”
• “Monster In Me”
• “Broken By Design”

If you listened along and also enjoyed the album, you can buy/stream Blackout here.

To keep up with From Ashes to New, click here.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this article and want to keep up with more from me, feel free to subscribe