Posted: April 11th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ iTunes Release Date: April 8, 2008 via Island
	ASHES dIVIDE is: Billy Howerdel (Vocals / Guitar / Bass / Keyboard) Devo Keenan (Cello) Josh Freese (Drums)

Overview: Six-string king Billy Howerdel is a familiar name to many, but most can’t quite recall a band which he performed in. He got his jump start into the music world as the guitar tech for a little everyday, mainstream rock band called Tool. Feeling the need to go from the man behind the stage to the guy performing on it, he created A Perfect Circle, featuring Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan and drumming mainstay Josh Freese among its star studded roster. APC cut its debut album ‘Mer de Noms‘ in 2000, and it eventually went platinum. Three more A Perfect Circle albums followed in ‘Thirteenth Step‘, ‘eMOTIVe‘ and ‘aMOTION‘ respectively, after which the band collectively threw in the towel. Howerdel failed to stay idle for long, going to work on the songs that would end up comprising his next project. The result?-Ashes Divide, a one-man wrecking crew, sans help from crony Josh Freese behind the kit and another Keenan, Maynard’s son Devo on cello, that bares what Howerdel has been up to since APC fizzled out. He calls his Island/Def Jam debut ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘ and the disc’s first single “The Stone” is receiving healthy play on rock radio.

The Good: ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘ might seem like Billy Howerdel’s best attempt to resurrect the ashes of A Perfect Circle, but such is not necessarily as true as you may have preconceived. Only a few peels into the rind of “Stripped Away” reveals a somewhat surprising fruit; the simpleton of a song is straight-ahead and easy to digest, yet oozing with layered vocals and enchanting melodies. If you thought that song was only a warm-up before Howerdel leaped into frenetic time signatures and see-sawing guitar jaunts, feast your ears on “Denial Waits” maturing from pure placidity into a catharsis of vocals with just enough angst and urgency to make them feel more cunning than planned. Drummer or not, listening to Josh Freese work behind the kit is worth the price of any album, and he shows his teeth in “Too Late”, a mellow-dramatic affair that sees Howerdel doing his best to bring A Perfect Circle’s “Orestes” back to life (listen carefully toward the end and you’ll hear it). “Forever Can Be” sees Billy Boy implementing Arabian-flavored guitars over top a haunting and mysterious backdrop; Jared Leto would pay top dollar to have this one for the next 30 Seconds to Mars record. Freese and Howerdel have a harmonious power struggle in the lyrically gifted, drum rooted “Defamed” and Ashes Divide reaches into the grab-bag with “Enemies”, a pulsating song that although more testosterone laden than its predecessors, remains humble enough to keep the flow of the album moving gracefully. Howerdel’s goldfish must have had a horrific passing or something along those lines when he penned “A Wish”, a dirge best suited for play during a funeral on a cold, cloudy, rainy day in one of those horror movie towns you see in the movies; nevertheless, “A Wish” is not something you’ll hear everyday, a very mature listen not for the faint at heart. While “A Wish” yearns to send you on a journey to catch the bus, “Ritual” is here to shoot you off to drift in space, thanks to a ghostly vocal delivery by Howerdel and a spooky, almost chilling disposition. Ashes Divide makes sure you return from your trip without a hitch, as the vibrant duo of “The Stone” and “Higher” are here to pump some blood into your veins Howerdel had turned frozen. ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘ retreats into the dusk with “Sword”, but not before zipping one last chill up your spine; a bittersweet and memorable six minutes, “Sword” is capped off by the grumbling atonement of one of the piano’s lowest keys, giving you one last creatively eerie glimpse into Ashes Divide; oh and you might not think so, but I think this song puts anything Billy Corgan has ever attempted of a similar nature to shame, but that’s just me.

The Bad: Get your stones out, because I’m about to get pelted. For all the kudos I sprinkled onto Billy Howerdel’s shimmering bald head above, I think I deserve to take a few good swings at Ashes Divide. I’ve listened to the album through and through multiple times, and I just can’t get into it. I’ve tried everything to get myself lost in this album-I’ve listened to A Perfect Circle, I’ve reminded myself Josh Freese is behind the kit and that the band is not trying to copycat Maynard James Keenan, and I’ve even listened to the album in different sound qualities, from 96 kbps to 320 kbps-but I just cannot soak this disc up. Here’s the thing I’ve really noticed with ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘-Billy Howerdel has brought all the right pieces to the table in each song, but for whatever reason he fails to bring everything to a culmination, helplessly wedging them in between the very uninspiring and the very masterful with very little wiggle room. In fact, while I was listening the first time around I was at the point of salivating after the first half of every cut, expecting a grandeur of a finish to the groundwork laid by Ashes Divide, only to dishearteningly remain right on course from what came through my speakers on second one. In any case, I could try to justify my stance until I wither away, but I’ll let you be the judge and point out something else. Before the finale of “Sword”, ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘ is bombarded by “The Stone” and “Higher”, two songs that feel as out of place on the record as a chastity belt does on Bill Clinton. After repeated rounds of tranquil, enveloping soliloquies, epitaphs, and lullabies, I was comfortable with the peaceful and reflective state the album had guided me to and expected to ride this wave all the way to the finish line; then, without warning, the entire mood of ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘ is changed from one of brooding sentiments to upbeat, almost glib slabs of modern rock. Just when I had adjusted my senses, “Sword” arrives and feels more like ending an album on song one rather than song eleven. You all might be loading your guns and Googling for my address to come retaliate for berating such a blessed musician as Billy Howerdel, but it just saddens me that he had everything orchestrated in just the right places to make what could have been one of 2008’s best albums, which instead left me scratching my head and wiping a few tears from my brow.

Bottomline: Try not to bring this factoid with you into your listen of ‘Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright‘: The guy that made this was the founding member of A Perfect Circle. With all do respect to Billy Howerdel, there is still an uncanny amount of talent packed into this rock and I would never take that away from the man. I have said all I can about Ashes Divide without wanting to get too puffy eyed, but listening to the album is like watching someone try to pass a diamond off as a cubic zirconium-it just doesn’t add up and all you can do as shake your head and ask yourself, “why”?

Rating: 6 out of 10