Ache – “Demo”
Ache is another wonderful New York band. New York is a place like Connecticut where we’re used to (and expect) having great bands arise from.
Ache has a member from the now defunct band, Abject, who were one of New York’s finest and when I say that I don’t mean the police force since I don’t want Jamie, (former singer of Abject, now with Close To The Edge) pulverizing me into smithereens. Oh, the guitar player from Abject is Mattikins and he’s the one now with Ache.
I know it’s confusing but we got two new great hardcore bands from one (Abject) and next week we should be reviewing Close To The Edge.
Ache is a hardcore band that does fall in with the heavy New York hardcore style but varies from the norm with their extreme death metal like vocals and their often pure metal and doom in their music. On their tags for their bandcamp they just mention crust, hardcore and punk, all good choices, but I would add metal and doom as well.
I looked up the definition of “ache.” The first one was not so interesting- a continuous or prolonged pain. But the second one, kind of fit this band- “an emotion experienced with painful or bitter sweet intensity.” And I think this CD encapsulates that definition well.
This album is a painful, emotive cry of sadness and despair coupled with an aggressive explanation of how to rid oneself of it through awareness, honesty and strength- from realization and acting it out.
And this could be the description, I guess, of hardcore. But words aren’t all I have to convince you how great Ache is. Let’s check out some music.
This song, 98.6, starts with a doomy, metallic guitar lick and a couple of vicious accents and then falls into line. The emotive, growling mix of death and hardcore vocals are dripping with venom like blood off a butcher’s knife. “I know I’m not safe from my nightmares/ And you’re not safe from my daydreams.” There’s a great hard hitting hardcore part after this but then a metal doom part staggers in with a head banging Black Sabbath like chord progression. “In my hollow shell/ In this robotic world/ We will drink a six pack and watch the cars go by.” This song is one part metal, one part doom, one part hardcore and all parts awesome in it’s depiction of a bleak, ominous wasteland.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/05 – 98.6.mp3|titles=98.6]After a guitar intro, the rhythm section starts with a tripping over itself propulsion, like a puppy too eager to run, but also signifying aggression and a desire to break free from it’s leash. “Every time I look in the mirror the only thing I see/ Is everything I hated staring back at me.” On “Pain Driven River”the guitars grind and screech, the rhythm section pounds away and the vocals growl and scream with passion in a storm of irritation and disgust. “Feel it in my throat/ All my frustration/ Wanting to explode/ Wanting to implode.” This is a song of power and pain, truth and expression and exceeds as much as life fails in its solutions. But a great song to relieve some of the pain.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/04 – Pain Driven River.mp3|titles=Pain Driven River]A buzzing bass intro starts “Dirty Roads” until a straight ahead, snare hit to the beat, hardcore rush shoves the song along. “You with us?/ It’s rotten/ We needs words from this silent city.” Eventually, the mood calms down and then it’s a half time metal strut till the finish. “ Give me these dirty streets/ Give me a city where the danger of the hustle and whores roam free/ Some kind of friend to me.” This is an awesome song even if I’m not sure what it’s about. (Living in New York City?)
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/03 – Dirty Roads.mp3|titles=Dirty Roads]“The Blood” is a hardcore jolt from the get go with a rhythm split in two parts, the first more multi-rhythmic and the second straight ahead. Vocals are ripping its heart out with its venomous display of passion, guitars are snarling while the rhythm section does cartwheels of power and propulsion. “Blood never ends/ mind cuts again/ Dripping again/ Blood never ends.” The second part of the song is a slowed down metal part doomily leading us onto destruction. “These scars show who I once was/ The paralyzing blood/ These scars cloud my face/ These scars cloud my faith.” This leads us into an effective prog rock transition while the drums pummel any chance of pretension into submission and the vocals lay the final threat. “These people cut my face/ I’ll cut those peoples face/ I’ll cut those people dead.”
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01 – The Blood.mp3|titles=The Blood]The first, and only, time we saw Ache, after they left the stage, I felt compelled to introduce myself to the band and welcome them to Boston.
I saw the singer. Ryan is a big man, he looms over me. He has many tattoos, some on his face and a spike through the bottom of his nose. I didn’t know what to expect.
I introduced myself, TNB and how much we enjoyed the set.
“Oh, that’s so nice of you to say. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, “ he said with a warm smile.
This was not the kind of response I was expecting from a New Yorker. But it seems he grew up in Texas- Southern hospitality you see.
And with such aggressive music that people of the scene listen to or play I suppose it’d be expected that we would be aggressive too. But as I know, as I’m sure you do, we’re the exact opposite. We’re all pretty much pussycats and Ryan is as well.
But that doesn’t detract from the fact that Ache has delivered an album full of power and passion. It doesn’t detract that Ache continues in the great New York hardcore tradition and does so extremely well. And they can rightfully take their place with all the great bands we cover from New York- like Live Fast Die Fast, Straphangers, Blackout Shoppers, Done With You and others.
I urge you to check them out and I urge them to visit us once again.
It’s a pain but it’s a good ache.
(Slimedog)
