ASHENSPIRE [UK]
Ashenspire, an experimental metal group formed in 2013, explores contradictions in the contemporary capitalist world, tracing its roots from past empire-building to the neoliberal project. The band delivers challenging and abrasive musical textures within a progressive, post-black metal framework, incorporating sprechgesang, violin, and saxophone extended techniques. Debuting in 2017 with “Speak Not of the Laudanum Quandary” on Code666 records, a critique of British Imperialism, they’ve shared the stage with contemporaries like A Forest of Stars, Ash Borer, Vampillia, Vulture Industries, and CODE.
Their critically acclaimed follow-up, “Hostile Architecture” (released in July 2022), has garnered attention on critics’ year-end lists. The album delves into the return of fascism to mainstream politics, the widening wealth gap, and growing alienation. Recorded in 2020, it delivers a more explicit anti-capitalist message, drawing influence from Altar of Plagues’ harsh textures, Colin Stetson’s hypnotic saxophone, and Ed Scissor/Lamplighter’s bleak noir-hop soundscapes. Ashenspire leans into avant-garde jazz tendencies and metallic dissonance, channeling hardcore intensity in a deeply emotional burst of political rage. Catch them on their upcoming European tour and festival appearances in 2023, including Denmark and the Netherlands.
