Burn Halo – Up From The Ashes (2011)
Burn Halo is back with their sophomore effort, Up From the Ashes. On Burn Halo’s debut, the band had a helping hand from Synnester Gates, Daniel Adair and more. They helped James Hart create a cool CD with some excellent stand out tracks like “Dirty Little Girl” and “Save Me”.
The band backing up singer James Hart on Up From the Ashes is completely different from the band that recorded the debut. With that being said, Up From the Ashes is sort of a second debut for the Burn Halo.
I have liked James Hart’s voice since his days in Eighteen Visions, and his vocals are in fine form on this CD. I can hear the influence of Avenged Sevenfold on some of the songs, and I thought that was kind of cool. I kept looking for a track to stand out amongst the rest on Up From The Ashes, and that song is “Dakota”, a heavy rocker which was written by Burn Halo’s guitarist, Brandon Lynn.
“I Won’t Back Down” and “Dakota” are the heaviest tunes on the album. This is a direction I would like to see Burn Halo move towards. I say this because far too many of the song on Up From The Ashes fall in that mid tempo modern rock style that is unidentifiable. When Burn Halo breaks out of the modern rock comfort zone, they truly shine, and in my opinion, that is what people are going remember the most. With so many bands in the modern rock genre, bands have to start doing something to differentiate themselves from another. Burn Halo has the talent to do that, but they don’t do it anywhere enough on Up From The Ashes. Drummer Dillon Ray has added some serious kick to Burn Halo’s music. We he cuts loose on the album, the music really takes off on its own. Joey Roxx and Brandon Lynn have plenty of cool licks on the album, but there are cases where I wish there was more.
While I don’t think Up From the Ashes quite lives up to Burn Halo’s debut, it isn’t a sophomore slump either. The standout tracks are “Tear it Down”, “Dakota”, “I Won’t Break Down” and the rockin’ album closer “Shine”. Now that James Hart has a solid lineup in place for Burn Halo, the potential for success is extraordinary. Up From the Ashes should be a launch pad for future successse for Burn Halo.
You can check out songs from Up From The Ashes on the Burn Halo Facebook page. Check it out!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Tear it Down
2. Up From the Ashes
3. Stranded
4. Threw it all Away
5. Alone
6. Stuck in a Rut
7. Give Me a Sign
8. Dakota
9. Rest My Soul
10. I Won’t Back Down
11. Shine
Burn Halo is:
James Hart – vocals
Joey Roxx – guitar
Brandon Lynn – guitar
Aaron Boehler – bass
Dillon Ray – drums
Hard Rock Hideout 
Comments