Lion Music, 20th March 2009

Hailing from Italy, Ashent is a band that plays an uncommon form of progressive metal, expressed here in 12 tracks that are simultaneously furious and melodic. Despite the concise nature of its songs, Deconstructive is an album with a good many twists and turns. It takes some time for all of them to sink in.

This isn't one of those groups that are labelled "progressive" because they dabble in bizarre time signatures, play on fifty-stringed guitars and use five kickdrums. Granted, Ashent writes songs of considerable complexity, but it's the balance between power, thrash, melody and atmosphere that sets the band apart.

On my first listen, I found bits and pieces of each track to warrant attention, yet no song in its entirety managed to get its hooks in me. Nope, it's definitely not immediately fetching. Upon further inspection, though, I found there was constantly something to like on the instrumental front. The vocal arrangements are super-catchy as well--just take a listen to "The Resonance of Life" or the sometimes Vintersorg-sounding "Starlinked Innerness". The vocals--power metalish of the, for a lack of a better word, whinier breed--still don't always sit right with me, but that's just a preference thing: they're definitely technically proficient. They're sometimes backed up by growls, but they tend to be non-descript, non-essential, and low in the mix--you won't be mistaking Ashent for Opeth anytime soon.

Deconstructive has a fairly uniform mood to it. If album single "Imperfect" appeals to you, chances are high that you'd enjoy exploring the rest of the record. It's a grower, but it's a very worthwhile one.

For more information: www.myspace.com/ashentband