Release Date: March 27th 2026. Record Label: Mongrel Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
An Age Of Ash - Tracklisting
1.Godforsaken (The Pact)
2.Left to Rot
3.An Age of Ash
4.Chosen
5.The Price
Members
Tim Harbour - Vocals and Guitar
Danny Helsing - Bass
Patrick Stephansen - Drums
Review
Doom/Stoner Metallers Mad God return with their first new album in almost eight years and the twisted result is An Age Of Ash. The band first made a name for themselves with their deeply psychedelic and cosmic horror leaning first two albums A Tale of A Sightless City (2017) and Grotesque and Inexorable (2018). Mad God weaved Proto Doom, Stoner Metal and Amplified Heaviness with a deep Lovecraftian mythology appearing within the lyrics and main creative outline for both albums.
This time round Mad God moves closer to more fantastical themes with a deep emphasis on dark vocal and lyrical imagery. The whole atmosphere is violently electric with the band taking influence from the likes of Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and other great bands who mastered the dark arts of Doom Metal. There’s a sudden influx of trippy Psychedelic melodies and intense Fuzzed Up sludgy guitars that leans into Prog Rock/Metal surroundings. Mad God feel like a totally different band compared to their previous albums which you can feel and brilliantly hear through the stunning opening two tracks of Godforsaken (The Pact) and Left To Rot.
These two songs allow Mad God to form a bleak and desolate style of Doom/Stoner Metal with haunting movements of Proto-Metal, Sludge, Psych and even slightly confusing Post-Rock flourishes especially on Left To Rot. Though, the music is highly unpredictable with a wicked style of feedback, reverb and distorted amps being used as a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION. The lyrics tell an intriguing concept which is explained further below:
“An Age Of Ash tells the story of a world in collapse: a war-torn kingdom, a young woman’s quest for absolution, and a father’s corrupted journey toward redemption. As humanity forgets ancient evils, darker forces rise in the shadows. Corrupt leadership, demonic betrayal and forgotten gods converge as the balance of existence begins to unravel. What unfolds is a bleak, violent fantasy narrative where hope is scarce and survival is uncertain.”
The story can be quite outlandish but this allows Mad God the perfect opportunity to let their musical imaginations to run amok and play some intense, violent and action packed instrumental passages that leave little to the imagination within the VOLUME department especially on tracks Left To Rot, An Age Of Ash and Chosen. Sometimes, the music can be quite abstract in places with Mad God maneuvering into different musical genres and creative themes that gives this record a highly unapologetic attitude.
All of the tracks are fairly long ranging from six minutes to ten minutes in length with Mad God combining Prog Rock/Metal hooks with a caustic style of underground Doom/Stoner Metal that suddenly taps into a gloomy OCCULT METAL sound. There’s even a sense of violent and mysterious dread forming from the middle part of the album where Mad God taps into that sinister style of Classic Doom Metal that allows the vocals once more to become slightly deranged and violently sinister at the same time.
You'll be surprised at how Mad God suddenly transforms themselves into a band closer to the likes of TOOL within the final stages of the album. This sudden creative shift gives the album a completely new musical direction and you will perhaps have more questions than answers before everything finishes and reaches an emotionally charged climax.
It’s hard to believe that Mad God are from South Africa as they’re more closely linked to the European Doom/Stoner Metal scene but they’ve studied the scene amazingly well to create a well-crafted and superbly written story to match the first rate music they play within An Age Of Ash.
An Age Of Ash is an absolute blast of an album with Mad God creating a truly sinister and riff-fuelled musical adventure that has more than enough CHILLS, THRILLS and SPILLS to keep everyone entertained for a long time to come.
Just add this great album to your record collection whilst you can. This is first rate.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Plug Music Agency for the promo.
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