For any band that has managed to release more than one project together, listeners love to hear growth in the music. But when you have a band that has had to navigate major hurdles and time apart with extraordinary resilience and the willpower to stay together, it brings humanity back to the music; the development of the music is a byproduct of the growth of the people who made it.
That’s what we find in post-grunge hard rock band Ashes to Omens’ recently released EP Vessels & Vices. The five tracks represent a new era for the band, which is made up of members James Branton (vocals), Nathan Britt (guitar), Trip Cooper (guitar), Chris Blake (bass) and Casey Lee (drums). When discussing the evolution of the band’s sound, they point to the growth of individual musical tastes and abilities taking this EP on an entirely new path from previous Ashes to Omens records.
“The goal of this EP was growth, exploring new sounds and enjoying the process of writing music that we’re proud of. Sonically, the music evolves as the EP progresses. You can hear the different stages of growth within the EP itself,” says Cooper.
“To add to this, I think for this EP we decided we all had something to say. We went through a lot of problems in the past few years, and we had a lack of internal direction, so we struggled with what we really wanted to say… We all sat down and talked about what our goals were, and then we went through a restructuring lineup-wise. That was where it all changed for us. We got the opportunity to work with Michael Guevarez as a producer on this EP, and it was tough on us but he believed in us and what we were wanting to get out there,” adds Branton.
As the “new guy” to the lineup, Cooper shares that he and his bandmates are able to depend on one another beyond the music, but there’s also a creative chemistry they’ve been able to channel that pushes that bond further. Branton and Blake have remained a steady core of Ashes to Omens, and Blake says that the current lineup is the one the band was meant to have musically and personally. Returning original member Britt agrees it’s fueling a drive to want to create, and fellow returnee Lee says after his five-year break from the band, the bond, understanding and communication between members is better than ever.
“Ashes to Omens is a very personal journey for me, and this EP directly reflects my own personal journey in life. We got hit with major setbacks in 2022 with a lot of serious toxicity. There’s a picture out there of me from this big festival we played in Loganville, and it really captured this feeling of defeat in me. It was a tough time… When Trip joined and then Nathan and Casey came back, it really solidified that people can overcome if they’re willing to listen to each other and talk. I feel like this band is a testament to overcoming adversity,” says Branton.
Since the band’s comeback last year, it’s found a lot of support from its peers in the local Athens music scene. Branton says that the local love has helped keep a passion for the art going, and he feels like he has a support system within the music community. With that in mind, Ashes to Omens is set on carving its own path and has a strong representation of that in this new EP.
“Athens is one of the greatest places for any art form. So I certainly believe that the Athens music scene motivated us to be our best. However, we strive to sound different from others,” says Lee.
“We’ve always wanted to do what we wanted to do. We are immensely supportive of our fellow Athens bands, but we’re trying to be us,” says Britt.
In the spirit of doing what they want to do, the band resists being shoehorned into a specific genre or sound within the overarching rock arena. By leaning into what feels natural and represents authentic feelings, they’ve managed to escape redundancy in their sound. The opening track of Vessels & Vices, “Vultures,” immediately gets in your face with head-banging aggression, but it slips right into the soulful and emotional track “The Tide,” released with a music video earlier this year. Branton says, “We just want you to feel something.”
“It’s taken a lot of years to discover what Ashes to Omens is as a group, and I think I speak for everyone when I say, this is it. We’re just trying to do our part to keep the rock genre as a whole alive. People have been saying it’s a dying genre since I started listening to it, but none of us think so. We’re just doing our part to help keep it alive and well,” says Blake.
While the band has had a steady build up to its EP release this year, the official drop feels more like a launching point for the rest of the year than downtime. Currently in the midst of fall tour planning, Ashes to Omens is also preparing a follow-up single release around October. News of more show dates and content are on the horizon, but you can say you caught one of the band’s big announcements here first: Ashes to Omens is excited for the opportunity to open for Keith Wallen of Breaking Benjamin at the Masquerade in Atlanta on July 24.
In the meantime, you can catch Ashes to Omens playing in nearby Comer for the second annual Comer 4th of July Festival that is taking place on Saturday, July 5. It’s an all-day event with vendors, a car show and fireworks with music starting at 6:30 p.m. More info, and a whole lot more of everything to do with the band, can be found at ashestoomens.com.
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