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Pillars of Ash
by
Pillars of Ash Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

  • Artist(s): Andrew Fidler, James May, Jonathan Athon
  • Summary: The fifth full-length release for the Savannah, Georgia-based sludge metal band is its final album with bassist Jonathan Athon, who died in a motorcycle accident in November 2014.
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Top Track

God's on Vacation
Good times and mutilation God took a vacation Self-worth and frustration Everything so wasted God's on vacation Deceived by what you said, stuck... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Pitchfork
    Feb 3, 2016
    82
    Black Tusk's combination of sludge, rock, hardcore, and death metal remains fluid, fertile, and most importantly, full of life, in spite of the tragedy that threatens to define it. Far from funereal, Pillars of Ash has plenty of love for good ol' heavy-metal melodies.
  2. Kerrang!
    Feb 3, 2016
    80
    The fiery swagger and coursing vitriol of these, Jonathan's final recordings, now stand as monuments. [23 Jan 2016, p.52]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Exclaim
    Feb 3, 2016
    80
    The heart of this record is a furious commitment to survival. It's gutting. It's heartbreaking. And it's pretty goddamn beautiful.
  4. PopMatters
    Feb 18, 2016
    80
    As the final recording featuring Athon, Pillars of Ash feels more like a closing chapter than a new beginning.
  5. Spin
    Feb 19, 2016
    70
    The sound isn’t funereal, but exultant, the slashing and stoned pinnacle of everything the trio had built to over the course of their decade of existence.
  6. Consequence
    Feb 3, 2016
    67
    Pillars of Ash rockets through 11 tracks without looking back, without room for breath. The songs tend to blend together in the spin cycle, one screamed vocal track melting its way into the next, one thundering drum fill inseparable from another.
  7. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Feb 16, 2016
    60
    Pillars of Ash is the body in transition, all crumble and ovation, an album that celebrates a human voice and exists in a world without it.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. manonthemoon68
    Feb 26, 2016
    8
    Classic black tusk on display here with hardcore punk mixed with southern sludge throughout. I find this mix to be a nice contrast to a lotClassic black tusk on display here with hardcore punk mixed with southern sludge throughout. I find this mix to be a nice contrast to a lot of the stoner metal that is currently out there as the energy that the punk provides is a nice mix. Born of Strife and Black Tide were the two tracks that stood out the most IMO. #JVA… Expand
  2. Custom_Concerns
    Feb 19, 2016
    5
    Black Tusk's biggest positive attribute is the punk energy that the band members bring to the instrumentals: the vocals, guitar, and drums allBlack Tusk's biggest positive attribute is the punk energy that the band members bring to the instrumentals: the vocals, guitar, and drums all roar with the intensity of 80's hardcore punk turned up a few notches. It fails, however, in doing anything different than every other metal band out there. There is an extreme over-saturation of metal music in this decade. For hardcore fans of the genre, Black Tusk may scratch an itch, but boredom does sneak its way into my head during the runtime of this record.… Expand

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