Out of Ashes

Dead by Sunrise, Dead by Sunrise | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: WEA/Reprise
• ASIN: B002JM1VQ4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,647 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2009 debut release from this new outfit formed by Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. Feeling freed by being able to write about his real problems and real life, Bennington holds nothing back in exposing his demons. His pain is documented on songs like "Let Down" and the hard-hitting "Inside Of Me," where he confesses, "What the hell is wrong with me/This isn't who I'm supposed to be." But nowhere is that torment more apparent than on the explosive lead single, "Crawl Back In," where Bennington shares his doubts and his struggles with addiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chester on his own has a familiar sound, October 16, 2009

By 

rapaleeman "rapaleeman" (Woodbridge, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Ashes (Audio CD)

So let's get this over quick. This is essentially Linkin Park, but darker and with no rap.

The good news is that if you like Chester in LP you will love him here. Great range and vocals over the entire album and an interesting side of the screaming front man to one of my favorite bands. So those that are worried don't be. There isn't a stinker in the entire album and from start to finish it is a good listen. You have some ups and downs (well, mostly downs) since this is a truly depressing album, but it is delivered in a way that will not immediately hit you as such.

Much like LP tracks on the first 2 albums were about break-ups, heartache, and finding yourself through the flaws, yet somehow they rocked, the same is true here. Despite the depressing subject matter, I had a good time with this album. Some standouts include: "Fire", "Crawl Back In", "Let Down", "Into You", and "Walking In Circles". Really though the album flows quite well and anyone in for some rock and decent radio friendly rock should give a listen.

Now the bad news. We've been here before. "Minutes To Midnight" from LP was essentially a Chester Album, much like conversely Fort Minor's "The Rising Tied" was Mike Shinoda's album and time to shine. See, since there wasn't that much Mike on "M2M", Chester who was predominately featured really rose to the occasion there. He basically gave us everything he had and it shows here. Nothing on this album besides a few clever hooks shows anything new from Chester and that is hard for me to admit.

I am a huge LP fan and love their overall philosophy and style when it comes to writing and recording their various tracks. This album, while technically great sounding and well produced, is extremely generic. Sure there is some decent guitars and back beats from the drummer but honestly we have heard this before from Chester Bennington. Those of us expecting a new direction or new style will be wholeheartedly mistaken. As was my issue with "The Rising Tied", the parts are so much better when they are whole.

Is it a bad album? Of course not. It is slickly produced and has some pretty good writing for the most part. Is it groundbreaking? The answer to that question as a firm NO. So for fans of Bennington and LP in general this is a must buy since it really does sound a lot like LP due to Chester sticking with the same genre and overall same writing style. The average listener of the Rock music will find something to like as well, just don't expect anything groundbreaking.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Think Linkin Park for adults., October 16, 2009

By 

A. Estes (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Ashes (Audio CD)

"Out of Ashes" is the debut album from Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington's new band/solo act, Dead by Sunrise. Eschewing the rap-rock for some new wave and pop influences, "Out of Ashes" teams Bennington up long-time collaborators and electro-rock outfit Julien-K (which, incidentally, features ex-Orgy members Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh) and producer Howard Benson.

In all honesty, most of it sounds like it could be the sequel to "Minutes to Midnight." It's exactly the kind of polished radio-rock you'd expect from producer Howard Benson, but that's not to say that it's bad. Actually, if you dug the balladry explored on the previously mentioned album, you're likely to be swept away by many of the softer tunes Chester and company break out on their debut affair. The gorgeous melodies of "Give Me Your Name" -- in spite of some cornball lyrics -- shows that the angsty young man who once penned the lyrical genius (ahem) that is "Shut up when I'm talking to you!" has grown quite substantially. Each of these songs -- many of which originated by Bennington strumming an acoustic guitar -- could be a hit in their own right, and show that outside of his safe zone, the man can actually write just simply good songs.

In fact, most of the album can be appreciated on the most basic level, provided you can forgive the massive amount of gloss Benson applies to the material. Underneath the layers of synthesized guitar and keyboards, the songs stand strong on their own merits. Take for example, "Let Down," a song that made its debut during the ReAct Now: Music & Relief concert in 2005. While the original, stripped down version was better, the song still sounds incredible and the emotion of the song -- as intended -- cuts right through you, despite the fact that it's been doctored to sound like an 80's pop throwback. Elsewhere, the album takes some turns that might appease the Linkin Park fan who was missing the more rocking element in the band's last affair, and on that end, "My Suffering" delivers.

While the bulk of "Out of Ashes" resists the urge to break the mold, it's still a well-played and well-produced piece of music with more than a few gems to unearth. You don't even have to be a Linkin Park fan to appreciate the music here, and it's not a stretch to imagine a song or two from this album crossing over to a completely different audience altogether. At the end of day, these are good songs and deserve to be heard by an unbiased ear.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable debut!, October 31, 2009

By 

Kimberly A. Dozier (Irving, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of Ashes (Audio CD)

How often do you listen to a CD and love every song that you hear? That's the case with Dead By Sunrise, at least for me. Let me just say that this is not Linkin Park in the sense that there's no rapping going on here, however, if you are a fan of Linkin Park and the voice of Chester Bennington I honestly don't see how you don't walk away from this a fan of DBS. "Crawl Back In" is a great rocking first single. Chester's voice can be so tender on tracks like "Let Down" & "Give Me Your Name" and then he gives you that guttural sound from the pits of hell on "My Suffering". My favorite song is "Walking In Circles". This song is so haunting. The first thing I thought of when I heard it was the movie 2012. This would have been a great theme song for that movie. I would love to hear this song with a full orchestra. I'm just thrilled with this CD. I said earlier that Chester can produce a sound from the pits of hell but I truly believe that his voice is a gift from God.