Customer Reviews

Keep Telling Myself It's Alright

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I haven't written a review in quite a long time. But I couldn't believe that this album has only 3 and a half stars to date. I had to set the record straight, at least in my opinion.

This album is really good. Genuinely, surprisingly good. However, this debut may take awhile to grow on you. At first listen, I was slightly disappointed. I felt that "The Stone" was, without a doubt, the best song on the album. And I was really hoping for something more.

Well, I found it. It took a few listens, but now I adore the album and I can never get it out of my head. And guess what? "The Stone" is definitely one of this album's highlights, but it's not the best, in my opinion. "Too Late" is just amazing. Emotional, catchy, great guitar work. Couldn't ask for more. And of course there's "Sword," one of the best album closers I've heard in a long time.

Now, to take on all those A PERFECT CIRCLE comparisons. Yes, a lot of these songs have a strong APC vibe. But what else should it have? After all, the APC vibe is really just Billy's vibe. APC was his project, not Maynard's. Maynard just sang over Billy's wonderful music.

And yes, Maynard's voice is absent. But why are so many people holding that against Billy like it's his fault? Maynard preferred to record another Tool album (the worst of their career, in my opinion) and the awful Puscifer CD. It's about time Billy got some spotlight and recognition for his hard work and amazing skill. These songs are truly great. And I would honestly say that this album blows EMOTIVE out of the water.

If you actually enjoyed A PERFECT CIRCLE for its music, not just Maynard's voice, then do yourself a favor and buy this album. Some part of you must want to since you're reading this.

5 stars. Deservingly so.

Billy Howerdell is a talented musician, composer and guitarist. Now you can add singer to that list. Ashes dIVIDE for all intents and purposes is Billy's solo project. Everything that made APC great is here: ethereal guitar, existential lyrics, moody yet great production and a feeling that music can be elevated into poetry/art. Still, I feel something is lacking in the final product. Of course, not having Maynard James Keenen (one of the most dynamic vocalists in rock) takes away some of this music's potential edge.

APC fans will appreciate Stripped Away and the first single The Stone. Other songs have a decidedly eighties feel to them. Billy's single note guitar runs resemble The Cure's signature sound. Ritual has a depressed mode (excuse me, Depeche Mode) vibe. This is not a bad thing. If you love The Cure and other alternative bands this is a record for you.

Still, the music doesn't stay with you like APC (or Tool) albums. I know it's not fair to compare AD to legendary bands. Howerdel is a victim of his own high standards. As a solo artist, the sum is less than its impressive parts. A classic eighties band New Order had an album entitled Substance. APC, The Cure, Tool and New Order are full course meals and their substance stays with you. AD is like a lite asian dish:leaving one hungry for something more an hour later...

I first heard this band just before going to an STP show that they were opening up for. When I first heard the CD prior to the show, I wasn't very impressed, dismissing them as an acceptable opening band.

After hearing them live, and listening to the CD a few more times, this album really grew on me. The songs really have some depth, both musically & lyrically, and each time I listen to them they just get better.

Anyone dismissing Billy Howerdel's first solo effort as weak follow-up to A Perfect Circle, or saying that it's not as edgy as that effort clearly hasn't listened to this album. Billy has done a great job on vocals within the context of the music, and it's unfair to dismiss his vocal abilities compared to Maynard's (VERY FEW people could compare to that in this genre of music). Take this for what it is without comparing it to anything else: a great rock album with some real substance.

I can't wait till ASHES dIVIDE starts working on their next one!

I was/am a huge fan of A Perfect Circle. I think they released some of the most inspired music of the decade, and Billy Howerdel's song-writing and guitar styles were right up my alley. Needless to say, I was a little bummed when the group disbanded, but I kept my eye on the members' other projects.

I learned of Ashes Divide a couple months before this album came out, and I couldn't wait to hear what new music Mr. Howerdel had written. The only thing that concerned me was the fact that he would also be handling singing duties, and I hadn't been to impressed by his singing in the past. But in all fairness, how can you compare anyone to Maynard James Keenan? Any way, my prediction was that this album would be good, just not as good as A Perfect Circle. My prediction was accurate. Thankfully, Billy's singing has improved significantly, but as I said before, Maynard's shoes are much too big to fill. Billy actually sings similar to Maynard in some ways, but at the same time it's obvious that he's not mimicing him. Musically, the songs don't seem as diverse as APC's, perhaps because APC was a group effort and Ashes Divide is more of a solo thing. All the songs have the same gothic atmosphere to them, most similar to APC songs like "Blue" and "Orestes." There's a lot of piano meshed with the guitar, which provided a fresh feel to the album. More than anything, I hear a lot of influence from The Cure on this album.

This album is about what I expected, and I've been enjoying it. It's impressive for Billy's solo debut, and I see this project as having a lot of potential, because there's still room for improvement. But for die-hard fans of A Perfect Circle, this album is a must!

Comparisons to APC aside, this is an excellent album. You can feel that a lot of thought, effort and talent were put into these songs (melodies, lyrics and prodution). It's one of those albums that grows on you and reminds you what music is all about. A rare thing nowadays.

To start, my favorite band is tool, which pushed me towards a perfect circle. So when Billy Howerdel created ASHES dIVIDE, I heard the first single, "the stone", and like it. Then, I saw them at rock on the range, (side note: greatest concert that I've seen) and knew that the one song was not a fluke. The rest of the CD has a sound more like the first APC CD, Mer de Noms. I've had the CD for a month and it sounds different, which is always a plus. Again, if you follow tool and APC, you'll like this one.

Billy Howerdel shows another side of his musical Talent.

This is NOT an APC's album, it has it's own personality. Even though there's a couple of songs that do sound like APC ("Denial Waits, The Stone") the whole record developes his own identity.

Is just a beautiful an organic record. Great efford from Howerdel and cheers for his talent!

After being a long time Tool then an APC fan I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I heard The Stone first from the radio and thought it was ok. After about the 3rd or 4th time it started growing on me more. I then listened to the CD once it came out, and again at first I thought it was ok. I would have given it about a 7 out of 10. However, as many others have said here, this CD is one of those that requires more than one listen, and to be fair I'd give it at least 4-5 listens before trying to make a good judgement about it. It does grow on you. I do agree with someone else about it kind of having somewhat of an 80's vibe vocally on a few songs, but to me that's not much of an issue because it fits with the music on those songs. It isn't nearly as "heavy" as APC and definitely not much at all like Tool so don't try to compare to those. If you can imagine this coming out without having ever heard anything from APC then I think it would be easier to give it a fair review. I've tried doing that and after several listens now I'd rate it about a 8-8.5 out of 10. There's a few songs I don't care much for but I like over 1/2 the CD quite a bit. Denial Waits, Sword, Too Late, and Forever Can Be are standout tracks. Give this CD a chance, that's the best advice I can offer.

Obviously, this album is going to receive it's fair share of "A Perfect Circle" comparisons, but undeservedly so. This is NOT APC, so don't try to compare the two. Without the vocal prowess of Maynard, this won't compare to APC.

Instead what we have here is a solid debut effort from Billy Howerdel as A SOLO artist. And taking it for what it is, this album is pretty darn good. Having listened to it a few times, it is definetely an album that will grow on you.

There are many parts that sound like APC (see: "The Prey", "A Wish"), naturally because Billy wrote all the music for APC. But this album has a little bit of a different flavor as well. Just give it a chance apart from the APC standard and you will be pleasantly surprised.

I was a little worried about this project when I heard of it's release knowing Maynard was not involved. I've been a huge Tool/APC for many years now. I'm pleased to say Billy pulled it off very well. I agree with some of the other reviewers about some tracks being stronger than others, but I can not remember a more addictive album in the past few years. I would highly suggest picking this up for any APC fans. I'm anxious to check out a live performance to see how they sound.