At a time when many groups’ music genre requires several sentences to describe, you can summarize Down in Ashes in two words; Hard Rock. No gimmick, no prescriptive attire, no bandwagoning—just four guys, a tonne of attitude, an air of mystery and a memory of rock’s mid-90’s revival when pure energy transmitted through guitar strings defined a generation, only to be scarcely heard of since.
From the shadows emerges Kim Vincent (lead vocals, guitar), Shawn Kelly (drums), Koji Okazaki (lead guitar) and Yves Lavigne (vocals, bass). Combined in the unlikely backdrop of Canada’s pristine capital, Down in Ashes provides a gritty contrast that has Ottawa audiences turning off CPAC, abandoning their cubicle farms and seriously on the verge of bringing back the mosh pit.
With arousing tattoo artist cover art, their first disc Sexy Machinery hints at myth, meanness and machismo but emotive vocals and melodic overlays reveal a softer side. Electric stage presence and energetic performances have already earned Down in Ashes an envious audience base. With Sexy Machinery, that same jolt of raw emotion is now portable.
-Shannon Beahen
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