Ashes Remain "What I've Become" in most aspects is the typical radio friendly album, the modern christian rock scene is the category that this falls into.A lot of Air 1 kind of material on the album. Ashes Remain is actually much like a Skillet or maybe a better comparison would be RED kind of style.
The question is, does that mean it's a horrible album?
While any music scene tends to get overplayed, and "What I've Become"
on the surface level isn't ground breaking in any way shape or form,
in reality what band is? "What I've Become" might be able to be compared
with a lot of other bands, and very much so have a sound that sounds very familiar, it is actually still a catchy and good album.
"What I've become" does a lot right.
"Keep me breathing"
The opening song to the album, and right off the bat you get a RED vibe,
a good start and opening specially when it brings the hook "My minds a loaded gun no one can hear me screaming". A song like this is why I love RED, its what I like to hear from them, so I can't knock it when I hear the same style from Ashes Remain.
"On My Own"
slows the album down, something air 1 would probably claim to be heavy. But just because it's not, doesn't mean it's a bad song, it's not bad it's ok, nothing you haven't heard before lyrically or music wise though from bands like Skillet,RED,Decyfer Down,Kutless ect.
"Everything Good"
Is probably the song you will hear about the most on this album, it's the song that will be overplayed on any modern contemporary Christian radio station, until you know every line and every guitar strum. It does slow the album down even more then the second song, but that being said I love the song, I can't knock a song that gives God all the glory. Its probably a good thing that it gets played so much so that you know every line.
"Without You"
Follows the same tempo as the last song, except it includes a beautiful piano momentum through the song. I like it more then "On My Own" but it isn't as good as "Everything Good", so I suppose in my eyes it's slightly better then ok. (2:37 into the song is pretty much where it stands out to me)
"Come Alive"
Picks up the album a little bit, about to the tempo of "On my Own", except I actually like it.
"Unbroken"
Keeps up the pace and I like the intro and the whole feel of the song, what can I say, like a lot of the lyrics on this album they are catchy and rhythmically fit.
"I walk through the fire
just to feel You next to me,
hold on to desire, Your the only hope I see.
I hate what I have been, falling apart within… dying to be… unbroken"- pretty much the whole song.
"End of Me"
Is actually my favorite song on the album, the riff is catchy and probably the best on the album. Lyrically the song and the album in general deals a lot with pain,depression and suicidal thoughts specifically speaking this song, probably why it's a favorite. I like the line "Black and white melt into grey until every truth is stripped away" and the lines that lead into the chorus
"The world around me, sells an empty promise. They build you up.. just to watch you fall. It's time to meet this face to face."
"I ran away from the pain
always breaking down inside
incomplete
but now I see
this wont be the end of me."
"Right Here"
Slows things up again with some acoustic and softer vocals. It's actually a perfect song to follow a song like "End of Me" and it's all about God always being there, great song when you are comparing the contras in "Unbroken" and "End of Me".
"Change My life"
Is much like "Without you" includes piano too. This is also a song that will be, if it already is not, in the Air 1 rotation.
"If you could make the sun burn through the night,
and you could make the dead man come alive,
if you could make the oceans all run dry
then I know you can change my life"
Absolutely true and great chorus for a song.
"Take it Away"
Picks things up again, and is very similar chorus wise with Pillars song "Bring me down" ok so it's actually exactly the same. Really for me that's all I can think about when I hear this song is "Bring me down" by Pillar and that song is better then this version.
"Inside of Me"
Is another favorite of mine, and the sound is really more of a sound Ashes Remain should stick with. It's a song that sticks out to you when you first listen through the album, and how it drives into the chorus and the chorus itself..simply put AWESOME.
"I..Can't..breathe without you
I'm stuck inside of me!
I'm..not.. free without YOU
there's nothing left of me!"
"I won't Run Away"
Is the final song on the album and for Ashes Remain and this album in general it was a great way to end it. A good send off
"What I've Become" is not something that is going to revolutionize the christian music industry, but then again it's not trying to be different and that's pretty obvious through out the whole album except for maybe "Inside Me". That being said vocals are still great through out this album and there is still plenty to like off this record in some aspects I think Ashes Remain is better then the bands they sound like if that makes any sense. It's like I see a lot of potential in these guys in their ministry and music but at the same time it feels like they are not using that potential to separate themselves from the pack.
It's an album that on the surface level is "just ok" and while it's easy to point out the negative similarities while you are doing that you will miss the positives of this album and it does indeed have it's moments.
3 out of 5
