Ash - Meltdown

We have to admit, we were getting worried for a minute there. ‘Clones’ just wasn’t the Ash we were used to - Tim Wheeler trying to be ‘rawk’ over a sub-Muse backing track isn’t our idea of career progression. ‘Orpheus’ restored some faith with that chorus, but the jury was still out.

Over eleven tracks it’s impossible to not find at least some good in Ash though. ‘Starcrossed’ echoes back to the glory days of ‘1977’, and shows just how much someone’s been hanging out with Chris Martin, while ‘Meltdown’ and ‘Evil Eye’ both have those irresistible trademark melodies that make us thank God for creating Charlotte Hatherley.

Not everything works so well though. The lyrics of ‘Detonator’ are truly cringeworthy, and ‘On A Wave’ has absolutely none of Ash’s usual charm about it. In fact towards the end of the album things almost end up in a bizarre realm of kiddy metal. For every bright moment there’s a missed opportunity, and while there’s nothing to match the car crash of ‘Envy’ or ‘Candy’, ‘Meltdown’ is easily the band’s most inconsistent work to date.

That’s not to say that Ash have ‘lost it’ - judging a band on the standards of an album released almost 10 years ago is harsh at best, and they’re sure to gain a whole new legion of fans - they just may have a penchant for black eyeliner and razor blades.