Ashes of Ares – New Messiahs
Release Date: 18th July 2025
Label: ROAR
Order/Stream
Genre: American Power Metal
FFO: Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, Witherfall.
Review By: Eric Wilt
One of this year’s most exciting announcements in the metal world came from the Ashes of Ares camp. The band, which includes former Iced Earth singer Matt Barlow and guitarist Freddie Vidales, announced that they would be performing the Iced Earth classic Dark Saga in its entirety on their 2025 European tour. While I, selfishly, would have liked to see the tour kick off in America, just knowing that Matt Barlow, who is arguably the best singer of all time, will be revisiting an album from his Iced Earth past is super exciting. Hot on the heels of this announcement, Ashes of Ares is releasing their fourth full length entitled New Messiahs. Featuring Barlow and Vidales who enlisted the help of Kyle Taylor to handle drum duties, New Messiah sees Ashes of Ares continuing down the path of American power metal that they have been forging since 2012.
If you’ve been a fan of Ashes of Ares or the respective work of Barlow and Vidales in Iced Earth, you already know what to expect from New Messiahs. There’s wisdom in the old saying, ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it’, and Ashes of Ares proves this with a formula that continues to deliver. Songs like Where You Go and From Hell He Rides allow Barlow to show off his pipes while Vidales guitar prowess is on display each time he takes a solo. If you’re looking to slake your thirst for new Iced Earth material, Wake of Vultures and Keep on Walkin’ will do the job. Wake of Vultures sees Ashes of Ares delve into the speed metal that put Jon Schaefer and his relentless right-hand attack on the map, while Keep on Walkin’ takes the theme and vibe from Something Wicked this Way Comes’ stand out track Watching Over Me and updates the subject matter to a parent and their child. The album closes with Ashes of Ares’ take on the Elton John song And the House Fell Down. I wasn’t sure how the track would translate to metal, but Ashes of Ares give it the Trans-Siberian Orchestra treatment, and it succeeds stunningly.
It’s obvious that I’m biased when it comes to Matt Barlow and Ashes of Ares. The Barlow eras of Iced Earth produced a number of my favorite songs of all time, and I am beyond thrilled to see him still in the game in 2025. His work with Freddie Vidales in Ashes of Ares is top-notch, as you would expect from two musicians of their caliber, and New Messiahs is an excellent addition to their already sparkling discography.
(4 / 5)
