Out of Ashes
Encyclopedia
Out of Ashes is the debut studio album
by American rock band Dead by Sunrise
, which consists of Linkin Park
lead vocalist Chester Bennington
and the band members of Julien-K
. It was released on October 13, 2009 through Warner Bros. Records
, to mixed reception. The album was produced by Howard Benson
. The album charted in a respectably high position in the Billboard 200
, peaking at #29. The album spawned two singles
, "Crawl Back In
" and "Let Down", both which achieved moderate success.
The album's lyrical contains many personal experiences by Bennington in the previous years before the album's production. It was described as "really dark" and "much more of a rock album" than the works of Linkin Park.
that he hoped to see the album released in 2009, placing his full commitment to the album. The band made its debut in 2008 at Marquee Theatre
at Tempe, Arizona
. He also said in some interviews that he would be working on the record while simultaneously writing Linkin Park's then-unreleased fourth studio album
, and that the songs on the album developed during that process.
stated that, compared to Linkin Park's work, is "much more of a rock album" Bennington also described the album in an interview with MTV
that "It's really dark. It's like post-apocalyptic Blade Runner
meets LSD." He also stated that all the songs were based on personal experiences. In the same interview, Bennington said,
As well as singing, Bennington also performs guitar
and synthesizer
on the album. All extra instrumental, programming and production was undertaken by Julien-K
members Amir Derakh
, Ryan Shuck
, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony "Fu" Valcic.
", "My Suffering") every show during Linkin Park's first encore break. The first single from the album, "Crawl Back In
", was released for download on August 18, with an accompanying music video released on September 8. The entire album was uploaded to the band's official MySpace
profile on October 9, just four days before the official release. The album did considerably well in the charts, and reached #29 on the Billboard 200
.
On October 13, 2009, the same day as the album's release, Dead by Sunrise made their first television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman
. The band also performed on October 21, 2009 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. After its release, Dead by Sunrise proceeded to tour throughout the United States
, Europe
, and Asia
, promoting it.
On November 24, the second official single, "Let Down" was released, along with an accompanying music video.
Despite reports that "Inside of Me" and "Too Late" were going to be the next two singles, they never saw official releases, although "Inside of Me" was included as a b-side to the international single of "Let Down".
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Poppy Cleere of SHRED praised the album, saying that "Out of Ashes is a beautifully crafted album which skillfully takes the listener on a whirlwind trip through Bennington’s remarkable trials of recent life." Gregory Heaney of Allmusic gave a favorable review of the album, saying that "As a whole, Out of Ashes is a solid record and a fine opening volley for Bennington's solo work." Gary Graff of Billboard
, who also positively reviewed the album, described Out of Ashes as "grittier and more punk-driven" than the works of Linkin Park. Faye Lewis of Rock Sound
says that it "throws down anguished alt-rock and enough crunching guitars and intense lyrics to frighten off Linkin Park comparisons."
Rolling Stone
says that the album is "oddly inert, lacking both the brute force and big choruses that raised Linkin Park to rap-rock godhead status." August Brown of The Los Angeles Times equally gave a mixed review, saying "while Out of Ashes has moments of spark, it's more scattershot and less ambitious than the music Bennington makes with Linkin Park." Jon Pareles of The New York Times
called Out of Ashes as "spacious, state of the art pop", but at the same time "shamelessly imitative", citing similarities to Nirvana
, Pink Floyd
, Green Day
and Metallica
. Jordy Kasko of The Tune
, who is a fan of Linkin Park, also gave a mixed review, saying "In the end, Chester hasn't created another Linkin Park album, but it's a little too close for comfort." Brett Emerson of The Second Supper
gave a negative review, saying that "There are brief moments of lucid enjoyment, but for the most part Out of Ashes plays like sedate rock wallpaper with aims of sedate media attention."
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rock band Dead by Sunrise
Dead by Sunrise
Dead by Sunrise is an American rock band. It is the side project of Linkin Park's lead vocalist and songwriter, Chester Bennington. The band also features Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony "Fu" Valcic from Julien-K and Orgy...
, which consists of Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
lead vocalist Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
and the band members of Julien-K
Julien-K
Julien-K is a music group that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck from Orgy, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic....
. It was released on October 13, 2009 through Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, to mixed reception. The album was produced by Howard Benson
Howard Benson
Howard Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
. The album charted in a respectably high position in the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, peaking at #29. The album spawned two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Crawl Back In
Crawl Back In
"Crawl Back In" is a song by American rock band Dead By Sunrise, which consists of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, as well as the band members of Julien-K. It is the first single of their debut album, Out of Ashes. It was released on iTunes on August 18, 2009. An official music video...
" and "Let Down", both which achieved moderate success.
The album's lyrical contains many personal experiences by Bennington in the previous years before the album's production. It was described as "really dark" and "much more of a rock album" than the works of Linkin Park.
History
Out of Ashes was originally slated for a 2006 release, when the group was still known as Snow White Tan. It was soon pushed to an early 2007 release, but due to his commitments to Linkin Park, Bennington held the record off indefinitely. The Pulse of Radio posted that Bennington's solo album was still in production and would be finalized in the spring of 2008. At this point, Bennington described in an interview with Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
that he hoped to see the album released in 2009, placing his full commitment to the album. The band made its debut in 2008 at Marquee Theatre
Marquee Theatre
Marquee Theatre is a small sized music venue in Tempe, Arizona. The theater sits on the north side of Tempe Town Lake near the Mill Avenue Bridge, at the intersection of Mill Avenue and Washington Street, the primary business and entertainment district in Tempe.-About:The Marquee originally opened...
at Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. He also said in some interviews that he would be working on the record while simultaneously writing Linkin Park's then-unreleased fourth studio album
A Thousand Suns
A Thousand Suns is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was first released on September 14, 2010. The album was written by the band and co-produced by Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who previously worked together to produce Minutes to Midnight...
, and that the songs on the album developed during that process.
Style and composition
Bennington said about the album's style "felt and sounded really good", but "they weren't right stylistically for Linkin Park." and described the songs as "darker and moodier" than the sounds of Linkin Park. Linkin Park co-lead vocalist Mike ShinodaMike Shinoda
Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...
stated that, compared to Linkin Park's work, is "much more of a rock album" Bennington also described the album in an interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that "It's really dark. It's like post-apocalyptic Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
meets LSD." He also stated that all the songs were based on personal experiences. In the same interview, Bennington said,
As well as singing, Bennington also performs guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on the album. All extra instrumental, programming and production was undertaken by Julien-K
Julien-K
Julien-K is a music group that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck from Orgy, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic....
members Amir Derakh
Amir Derakh
Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
, Ryan Shuck
Ryan Shuck
Ryan Christopher Shuck , better known as Ryan Shuck, is the rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Orgy and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of alternative rock band Dead By Sunrise. He also has a side project with fellow Orgy member Amir Derakh called Julien-K...
, Brandon Belsky, Elias Andra, and Anthony "Fu" Valcic.
Release and Promotion
In the summer of 2009, the official name and release date for the album was announced. Dead by Sunrise went out on tour with Linkin Park during August, promoting Out of Ashes by playing three songs ("Fire, "Crawl Back InCrawl Back In
"Crawl Back In" is a song by American rock band Dead By Sunrise, which consists of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, as well as the band members of Julien-K. It is the first single of their debut album, Out of Ashes. It was released on iTunes on August 18, 2009. An official music video...
", "My Suffering") every show during Linkin Park's first encore break. The first single from the album, "Crawl Back In
Crawl Back In
"Crawl Back In" is a song by American rock band Dead By Sunrise, which consists of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, as well as the band members of Julien-K. It is the first single of their debut album, Out of Ashes. It was released on iTunes on August 18, 2009. An official music video...
", was released for download on August 18, with an accompanying music video released on September 8. The entire album was uploaded to the band's official MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile on October 9, just four days before the official release. The album did considerably well in the charts, and reached #29 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
On October 13, 2009, the same day as the album's release, Dead by Sunrise made their first television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
. The band also performed on October 21, 2009 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. After its release, Dead by Sunrise proceeded to tour throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, promoting it.
On November 24, the second official single, "Let Down" was released, along with an accompanying music video.
Despite reports that "Inside of Me" and "Too Late" were going to be the next two singles, they never saw official releases, although "Inside of Me" was included as a b-side to the international single of "Let Down".
Reception
Out of Ashes received mixed reviews among music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Poppy Cleere of SHRED praised the album, saying that "Out of Ashes is a beautifully crafted album which skillfully takes the listener on a whirlwind trip through Bennington’s remarkable trials of recent life." Gregory Heaney of Allmusic gave a favorable review of the album, saying that "As a whole, Out of Ashes is a solid record and a fine opening volley for Bennington's solo work." Gary Graff of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, who also positively reviewed the album, described Out of Ashes as "grittier and more punk-driven" than the works of Linkin Park. Faye Lewis of Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
says that it "throws down anguished alt-rock and enough crunching guitars and intense lyrics to frighten off Linkin Park comparisons."
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
says that the album is "oddly inert, lacking both the brute force and big choruses that raised Linkin Park to rap-rock godhead status." August Brown of The Los Angeles Times equally gave a mixed review, saying "while Out of Ashes has moments of spark, it's more scattershot and less ambitious than the music Bennington makes with Linkin Park." Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called Out of Ashes as "spacious, state of the art pop", but at the same time "shamelessly imitative", citing similarities to Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. Jordy Kasko of The Tune
The Tune
The Tune is an animated film by American filmmaker Bill Plympton.-Plot summary:Del, a hard-working songwriter, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend Didi...
, who is a fan of Linkin Park, also gave a mixed review, saying "In the end, Chester hasn't created another Linkin Park album, but it's a little too close for comfort." Brett Emerson of The Second Supper
The Second Supper
The Second Supper is a web site and newspaper published in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The newspaper is published weekly from its headquarters in Downtown La Crosse....
gave a negative review, saying that "There are brief moments of lucid enjoyment, but for the most part Out of Ashes plays like sedate rock wallpaper with aims of sedate media attention."
Track listing
Personnel
Dead by Sunrise- Elias AndraElias AndraElias "Bones" Andra is an American Musician who is mostly known as the drummer of bands Julien-K and Dead by Sunrise.-Biography:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Brandon Belsky - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Chester BenningtonChester BenningtonChester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
- lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, synthesizer - Amir DerakhAmir DerakhAmir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Ryan ShuckRyan ShuckRyan Christopher Shuck , better known as Ryan Shuck, is the rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Orgy and rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of alternative rock band Dead By Sunrise. He also has a side project with fellow Orgy member Amir Derakh called Julien-K...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, synthesizer, beatboxBeatboxingBeatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
vocals on "In the Darkness" - Anthony "Fu" Valcic - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, synthesizers
Production
- Produced by Howard BensonHoward BensonHoward Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
and Chester BenningtonChester BenningtonChester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
Charts
| Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rock |
US Digital |
US Alt. | US HR |
UK | AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
CHE Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NLD | |
| 29 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 74 | 11 | 18 | 109 | 5 | 82 |
|