Ambitious, atmospheric, and minimally amazing are five words that essentially tell the whole story about SCATTER THE ASHES and their debut full-length, “Devout / The Modern Hymn.” Largely, SCATTER THE ASHES bridge the “heaviness gap” between former progressive hardcore legends, REFUSED, and the less well-known, but hardly idolized, THE FIRE THEFT. However, as much as “Devout / The Modern Hymn” may draw from modern sounds and contemporary stylistic devices, it lacks both the power and the poise to leave a significant impression. One thing that has left me scratching my head a handful of times while listening to this disc is the odd recording balance between the instruments – particularly the thin percussion, and the dimunitive lead vocals. While the crafty, diverse guitarwork basks in the spotlight throughout most of “Devout…” the intricate drumming seems mostly aloof, save for the upfront placement of the bass pedal in the mix. Lead vocalist Daryl Stamps, comes armed with well-fastened set of pipes (that also sounds a bit like a more famous Daryl), and stretches his range well on the building, SNAPCASE like, “Christine Daee.” Stamps can sing, scream, howl, shout, and whisper, all in very comforting fashion. For the most part, however, Stamps’ role is set aside in deference to the attention-seizing guitars, and I can’t help but second-guess this decision. Even more mind-boggling is that when SCATTER THE ASHES employ some engaging group vocals in prime, tense song transitions (THE BLOOD BROTHERS do this particularly well), I feel like I’m straining to even hear this element create an immediate impact – this kind of vocal neglect is just unacceptable in a professional recording environment. “Devout / The Modern Hymn” isn’t exactly the stunning masterpiece that I was expecting, after reading all of the pre-release literature that was hailing SCATTER THE ASHES as some new brand of musical revolutionaries, so I feel somewhat burned about not enjoying this up to the level that I planned for, but well, that’s what you get from standing too close to the flames of hype. (Gee Jordan – could you put any more stupid puns into this closing paragraph?!?) “Devout / The Modern Hymn” has many redeeming qualities to explore and internalize, and SCATTER THE ASHES’ musical talents are more than clear, but a dish of questionable recording practices, at least upon these ears, shafts this record into an abyss that I don’t think I’ll be swimming in too much longer.

Epitaph/Island

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