The Crushing Doom of Harvest of Ash

Harvest of Ash let us post an early stream of their second album, Castaway. I do these things with PR companies like Desert Bloom PR because they’re a great way to promote all three of us. And it’s always good stuff.

You would think by now I would stop being surprised. I mean, I listen to thousands of albums every year, and most of them are excellent. I wouldn’t cover them at all if they weren’t. But Harvest of Ash has taken the doom/sludge template and refined it to a point where I get lost in it. I almost didn’t upload the YouTube video on time, because I kept stopping and listening to it.

Harvest of Ash Premiere!

This is your chance to hear this Monsterously heavy album two days before release. There’s a lot more going on here than just down-tuned to guitars and a glacial pace. There are LAYERS to this album, surprising moments of creativity that put this a notch or two above the average album.

I highly recommend you check this out. It’s free after all, and you can decide for yourself whether to stream it or buy it. I always recommend buying the album, or at least buying a T-shirt or some other merch. Clicks and likes are good for the ego, but putting your money down for something is what keeps the scene alive. This is one band that is certainly earned a few dollars for the wonderfully crafted, relentlessly heavy and extremely enjoyable work of art they have presented us.

Harvest of Ash Promo:

The writing and recording of Salt Lake City’s Harvest of Ash’s second full-length album was a dark time for the band. Lineup changes and injuries stopped the band for months at a time. Yet, they took all of this calamity and channeled it into a new album about confronting and overcoming chaos. 

What they produced is a new album, titled Castaway. Lyrically, it charts a journey from self-criticism and feelings of rejection to being happy with who you are and what you have become as a person. A main theme of the work is the idea of amor fati, or love of fate. This is the notion of living life in an authentic way, embracing every decision and path taken – good and bad – as uniquely your own, that you would do everything the same way again. This makes Castaway a deeply personal statement about when you feel the bottom has dropped out of your life, and reclaiming value in yourself during these times.

Castaway is a story in five parts. It’s about a “castaway” “embracing” “shine,” through a “constellation” “of beloved flame.” It charts attempts for continued personal growth in the face of difficulties in my life over the past few years. This growth involves multiple steps, including learning to set boundaries with others to avoid negative or toxic influences in my life (castaway), moving beyond the expectations and standards of others (embracing), recognizing my worth and abilities (shine), finding people for support (constellation), and ultimately coming to a place of “amor fati,” or love of fate, where I embrace the flame of life, good and bad, in the best way that I can live it (flame). Not wishing for life to be easier or different, but living it in the way that I have to live it authentically, being true to who I am.

This is in the tradition of King Bastard and other young bands like Beware of Gods. I really think this is a standout album for the month of March!