Melodic death metal band Rival Order is back with an intensely heavy new EP, Beyond The Ashes. They sent me both a copy of their new release and one of their new band tees which we’ll be reviewing for The Band Merch Of The Month. Keep reading to get the details on this look + gain some insight on Rival Order’s Beyond The Ashes EP.
Review of Beyond The Ashes by Rival Order
Have you ever put on an album or an EP and felt as if your hair was immediately blown off your head due to its sheer heavines? That’s exactly what happened when I hit play on Beyond The Ashes and “Set Me Free” started exploding from my speakers. And no, not because the volume was too high. That’s just how hard Beyond The Ashes bangs.
You might think a brutal opener like that has to be followed by something similar. But Rival Order immediately gives us a slight a change of pace with, “Another Life”. The song starts with a much softer intro, before building into a monstrously heavy, but melodic anthem. It’s a song I find myself singing along to every single time, so it’s easy to see why it was voted as one of the best songs of 2021 so far.
“Revenant” falls in between the first two tracks in terms of melodic elements. However, it kicks things back up to that high octane intensity that we heard with the opener. One of my favorite things about this track in particular is how insane the drumming is. To call it pulse pounding feels like an understatement. They more so feel like drums in the middle of a battle. And that’s just one of the reasons it’s one of my favorite songs on this EP.
“Next In Line” keeps that momentum going. But it’s “Darkside Demon” that makes an epic finale for such an epic EP. It is another one of the standout tracks on Beyond The Ashes.
The Final Verdict
The contrast in the pace and style of the first two tracks are a great example of what makes Rival Order such a cool band. Their fearlessness to try different things is what makes their music so interesting and exciting. On Beyond The Ashes in particular, Rival Order sounds like a well oiled machine. It’s impressive for any band to have this cohesive energy on a record. And considering this release was in limbo at one point after original drummer Kurt Holtz decided to part ways with the band in 2020, even more so. Thankfully, Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, Soilwork) agreed to play drums on this EP.
You have to admire Rival Order’s tenacity, which can be heard on this record. I love a band that has that “leave it all on the field” type of mentality, and Beyond The Ashes is proof that they put their all into this EP. Beyond The Ashes roars with power, intensity, and most importantly, incredible musicianship. This quickly became one of my favorite releases of the year so far, and I highly recommend giving it a listen. Order a copy of Beyond The Ashes here or stream it on your favorite platform.
Rival Order Beyond The Ashes Band Merch Of The Month
This Rival Order band tee features the cover art for Beyond The Ashes. It’s made with 100% cotton so it’s super soft and easy to style with. The fit is also relaxed and comfortable so you will probably see me on Instagram wearing this with other outfits too! I love my band merch, but I hate when it arrives and feels like a piece of sand paper. So when super comfy shirts like this one from Rival Order arrive, I make sure to cherish them. Super huge thank you to Rival Order for sending this to me! To pick up one of these Beyond The Ashes tees for yourself or other Rival Order merch, check out their shop.
The relaxed fit makes this perfect to pair with a fitted skirt like the one I’m wearing here from Killstar. Since we’re so close to fall, I’ve been wanting to wear my boots more often. Because of that, I had to go with my Bolt-250 boots from Demonia.
I went with accessories galore for this one! The tights and sun glasses are also from Killstar. Jewelry wise I went with two of my favorite pieces: my earrings from Volta Joules and my choker from Skin Tight Rebel Clothing. Both are women owned small businesses that have really awesome pieces for metal ladies like myself.
LOOKING FOR OUTFIT IDEAS WITH COOL BAND MERCH?
Check out the looks I’ve been creating with band merch here.
And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram as well for your daily dose of heavy music in my stories!
WANT TO COLLABORATE?
Click here for more information on collaborations.
