Ah, Perth.

Any Western Australian that sends me a heavy/alt music promotional release gets a solid you-freaking-bet. Maybe they won’t all get these kinds of preambles, so chalk this one up as a little reflection on death metal and love for the scene.

Y’know, when Ashen sent me through this tantalising slice of promotional-material goodness, it hearkened me back to my first band. Not in high school, and not a RATM/Korn covers band. Late 20’s, Brisbanian deathgrind via Awful Noise, the worlds’ most on-the-nose hat-tip band title to one of our biggest genre influences. Those boys are absolutely killing it still, by the way. Shoutout to Lindon “Here’s 620 Quadrillion Underground Bands No One Else Could’ve Found Off Bandcamp, Enjoy” Faynes and the AxNx crew. That Amplifier Bar gig lives rent-free in my head forever, so do many of the cool dudes present with whom I’m still in contact with today.

Anyhow, Brisbane cops east coast tours at a far-higher rate than Perth; we’re here for them right now.

Point being, I had a great time. I had fun, got to catch my with uncle who I hadn’t seen in years. Contrary to stereotypes I did not, in fact, engage in mass sacrifices of goats or people. Just fun, mutual respect, and sunny vibes.

And that’s Perth! Perth’s a sunny place, a haven for FIFO workers, surfers and sun-enjoyers compared to We Have Untreated Personality Disorders At Home Victorian-weather I’m currently semi-dissociated from.

Perth reminds me of death metal’s roots, and a great analogue is of course, Florida. Ah, the Floridian death metal scene. Punk kids in the mid-to-late-80’s getting a vibe check on the surge in ultra-conservatism fuelled in the wake of The John Birch Society, Reagonomics and other pearl-clutching nonsense that is directly linked to the wholesale, society-wide disadvantage and destruction wrought by neoliberal capitalism.

And yet, apparently a bunch of kids just wanting to rage slightly harder than punks, trigger a few uptight neocons and merge horror-movies with lyrical histrionics, are the bad guys. I don’t know man, Kelly Schaefer was a lovely and respectable dude when most everyone attending the Atheist Australian tour just passed was graced by a nice fella having fun. Him and his younger crew of technically proficient, respectable but certainly fun-loving bandmate louts. Good dudes all. No goats slain.

Today, we proudly carry that torch of mirth into a new and horrific decade. Death metal gives us catharsis, fun and expressive capacity. Moreover, last I checked, you don’t have to live half-starved in a cabin on the Central Asian steppes to live in a healthy, sun-soaked environment whilst producing seriously gnarly tunes. Speaking of Awful Noise, see also - South-East QLD, Australia’s Florida. The home of XXXX, an insanely under-supported music scene (via funding, not community) and moshpits that pit Sydney and Melbourne to regular shame.

I had an absolute banger of a time and had any mind’s woes and negativity flushed down the drain in first encountering Ashen in live form, at the sadly-defunct New Dead Festival.

Care of these Perthian crushers having fun ripping sick riffs, I’m enjoying a palatable chamomile-tea cleanse in a way that suits me, right now, as I sip on WA extreme-metal.

No need to put the kettle on, guys; here’s the latest scoop about upcoming LP Leave The Flesh Behind. A warm hug of brutality-laden Bushell’s tea for the soul, on this chilly winters’ eve.

Peace, Love and Western Australian Extreme-Metal Refreshment, xoxo - Brady.

Ashen – Leave the Flesh Behind

Out August 22, 2025 via Redefining Darkness Records.

ALBUM BIO:

Ashen return with their second full-length and third overall release, Leave the Flesh Behind — a ten-track descent into the crushing unknown. Conceptually rooted in the severance of the mortal form and the dark, speculative realms that may lie beyond, the album is a brooding exploration of death, transcendence, and what remains when the flesh decays.

Channeling the relentless force of classic death-metal with an atmosphere as bleak as it is brutal, Leave the Flesh Behind sees the Australian quartet refining their sound to its most devastating form yet. Mixed and mastered by Marko Tervonen (The Crown) at StudioMT, and featuring evocative artwork by Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design), this record is both sonically and visually punishing.

ASHEN - BIO:

Ashen is a crushing four-piece death metal band from Perth, Western Australia. Formed in 2019, the band made their mark with the 2021 debut EP Godless Oath on Bitter Loss Records—mixed and mastered by Marko Tervonen (The Crown) and featuring artwork by Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design). The EP drew critical praise from No Clean Singing, Decibel Magazine, and the underground scene.

[Editor’ Note - And Me!]

See below for link to the full EP stream on Youtube, courtesy of Ashen & Death Metal Promotion (YT):

Their 2023 full-length Ritual of Ash saw the band reunite with Tervonen and Nakos, expanding their reach globally with support from Redefining Darkness Records. The album earned strong international reviews from outlets like Metal Hammer and Rock Hard.

Ashen has built a formidable live reputation, supporting Skeletal Remains on a 2022 east coast Australian tour and appearing at Adelaide’s The New Dead Festival in 2023. In 2024/25, they shared the stage with heavyweights Wolfheart, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Nile, Massacre, Atheist, Left to Die, and Krisiun.

Now, with their second full-length complete, Ashen is set to return in August 2025 via Redefining Darkness Records—delivering their most focused and punishing work to date.

LINKS:

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/ashendeath

https://www.instagram.com/Ashendeath/

Bandcamp:

https://ashendeath.bandcamp.com/

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@arkad1us99?si=LitpUgA6X5sGJfOE

Label:

https://www.redefiningdarkness.com/

Booking Agency/MGMT:

www.bleedingartcollective.com

Live Review (4/6/25):

https://amnplify.com.au/portfolio-items/atheist-usa-ashen-anoxia-neomantra-lynotts-lounge-perth-31st-may-2025-live-review/

Addendum:

ISC - A Premiere of [Premiere]s, a.k.a. Cheers ASHEN!

See below for the very first addition to our hosted premieres, right on the ISC Channel! Presenting, the haunting and atmospheric accompaniment to aforementioned LP Leave The Flesh Behind’s title-track!

This is where you all get put on notice for cutting some promotional teeth and upping your game.

I was honestly so impressed by how thorough these guys’ self-made press release kit was that, with their permission granted, Ashen are responsible for a first on the Inner-Strength Check Youtube Channel (links top-right & below).

That is, a hosted premiere on our Channel for ‘Leave The Flesh Behind’ (LP title-track)’s official video clip! This will be in a new category on the Channel, listed as [Premieres] and to be announced in the near future.

Now, out of both respects paid and per artist request, we’re embargoing the release of the clip of our own channel until Ashen themselves have launched it officially themselves.

But hey - take it from me as the guy running this joint": personal vouch for a professional artist ensuring they’re on their game in self-promotion as much as they are face-melting both live and on-disc.

Well done, dudes. Nice one.

I encourage you to keep in sync with their socials/links via the media below. That’s the first and best place to cop a very atmospheric and punishing visual accompaniment to the tunes. You’ll be nattered at much the same upon our own Premiere - we’re here to promote, not gloat, after all!

Here’s a little visual teaser ahead of time from a very cool and atmospheric music clip:

[#HEAVYNEWS] Perth Crushers ASHEN (AU) Announce Latest LP ‘Leave The Flesh Behind’, 22.08.25.