To visit the the official Ashen Reign MySpace page:
Ashen Reign is about the feeling you got the first time you listened to heavy metal, the drive, the satisfaction of hearing powerful guitars and driving drums. The vocals that would sound like shit on any other form of music, but matches so well with the aggressive, loud guitars. Not that "grit" sound of the 70's, but the balls out, full on wall of distortion.
That is the Ashen Reign kind of metal.
Brent McDaniel was born in the South Mississippi swamp lands who grew up with long Saturday nights sneaking beer as the rest rest of the family jammed with box guitars of old Hank Williams and Porter Wagner songs. Growing up around music, where everyone in the family and extended family could play something or sing well, it was bound to rub off.
It did.
Just not the old country folk song way. Discovering the likes of Loudness, Dokken, Krokus, Iron Maiden, and the Priest, it changed his life. Then Yngwie Malmsteen came out and it was on. Bought a guitar and set out to conquer it. Turns out, you never conquer it, it's a life long quest.
Jamming with friends throughout high school in bands until relocating to Tokyo Japan (um, courtesy of the US Navy) and jamming with various bands in Japan helped shape the sound and agression Ashen Reign tries to spew on the guitar, drums, bass and vocals.
Instead of displaying technical ability all over the songs, Ashen Reign prefers to put in the shred only where it's needed. If the song calls for it, then so be it, if not, then don't. Whatever makes the song work is what will be done. Playing fast is like having a fast car; you may not always hit the gas and go 150mph, but you like to know you have that under the hood if you need it.
Ashen Reign has no grand illusions about "making it". The only reason for making this CD and all that goes with it was simply to share what the band loves with the world. Nothing more, nothing less. Ashen Reign loves Metal and wants to help it stay strong.
All you have to do is listen to the bullshit that is played on the radio to understand our motivation for making this album and sharing it with you.
So that is Ashen Reign.
Spread the Metal
Spread the Reign
The Ashen Reign
