Dead Characters - Ashen

In a world dominated by vocal-centric music, it must be difficult to be an instrumental artist. Vocals create an easy and immediate touchstone for audiences, a doorway of human presence that they can step through. It is infinitely harder to connect with the general population via instrumentation, to touch their minds and hearts in the same way and with the same depth. A daunting task, but not an impossible one, as Colorado’s Dead Characters prove with their debut EP Ashen.

The sound of Ashen is much like the album cover: dark, crashing, and in constant motion. The drums pile hit upon hit upon hit, practically beating the toms to a pulp with powerful fills and warlike grooves. The bass guitar drones like an oncoming thunderstorm, thumping against the bass drum beats with a tone so growling and gritty it shakes my speakers. Above it all rides the guitar, deftly switching between tremolo-picked solos and chugging chords. The band lets the riffs and running basslines lead their sound—all the emotion is embedded in the instruments, and the melodies portray the meanings without the encumbrance of vocals or lyrics.

While their performances are superb, the real strength of Dead Characters’ music lies in their composition. The band employs vicious up-and-down dynamics in their songs, digging quiet and spacious valleys between mountains of distortion and ringing cymbals. Tracks like “With and Without” and “Landing” slip between big booming riffs and gentle melodic moments, letting the song steer from beauty to brutality. Similarly, vastly different guitar tones are employed against each other to create tension, placing washes of echo and reverb against grinding fuzz in “Palo Duro,” or even simultaneously imposing a twangy clean onto massive distortion in “There Were Flashes.” Each of the five songs on Ashen uses dynamics in volume and in tone to create vivid worlds for us to explore. 

It’s no small feat to connect with listeners through music; to do so without the tried-and-true tool of singing is an even larger feat, yet Dead Characters seem to be masters at it. Each of the songs on Ashen tells its own story in the language of thrashing strings and crashing drums, throwing the encumbrance of vocals to the side and letting their riffs do the talking. And believe me, those riffs have something to say, so you better listen up.

My Top Track: “Harriet”

You can find more from Dead Characters, including upcoming shows and news, on Facebook. Then head over to their Bandcamp page and pick up your own copy of Ashen.