It’s hard to think of a more fitting name for Scranton-based metalcore act Our Ashes Remain. After their previous band, Pave the Way, went down in flames back in spring 2011, guitarist Butch Frable, bassist Rory Harper and drummer Bill Lester soldiered on, seeking a new vocalist to help them keep the fires of creation burning.
“We did some try-outs and we had some excellent singers come in. It was very hard to choose in the beginning,” Lester said.
“We’d all known Jane (Moser) for quite some time, but when she came in and tried out, we were blown away. She nailed it. She actually had lyrics written for one of the songs we’d been working on, so we were like ‘Wow.’ That’s the dedication we were looking for.”
Thus, Our Ashes Remain was born.
Now, one year later, the band is set to release its first EP, titled “From the Ashes We Shall Rise.” To celebrate the event, the band will perform at Diane’s Deli & Internet Café in Pittston, on Saturday, April 14, supported by opening acts One Red X, Psycho 38 and Cathedra.
Using old songs originally written for Pave the Way as a starting point, the band members took the formation of Our Ashes Remain as an opportunity to explore other genres and showcase greater versatility.
“It has elements of everything we played in previous bands. Rory and I come a little more from the hardcore background, Butch is more thrash and power metal, and Hellistic Threat (Moser’s previous band) was underground death metal,” Lester explained.
“What we did was take all three of those elements and we put them together and made it fit. I think the way we were able to mesh them not only shows the talent and experience of each individual involved, but also the passion for what we’re doing.”
Musical chops and a breadth of influences aren’t the only things the members of Our Ashes Remain have gained from their respective pasts. Lessons have also been learned.
With the disbanding of Pave the Way still fresh in the minds of Lester, Harper and Frable, it seems like Our Ashes Remain is determined to make up for lost time.
“We’re out there two, sometimes three nights a week, rehearsing, playing shows,” Lester said. “We love it. We love working on new music. We just wrote two new songs in the last month and we have another one we’re almost done with.”
For these workhorses, the constant cycle of writing, honing and performing is not just something they savor for the fun of it. It’s also what propels their claws-extended ascent.
“We take a lot of pride in our hard work. We take our little breaks when we need to, but I think it’s important for us to maintain our edge, maintain our focus. It’s been working for us very well.”
Tickets for the Our Ashes Remain EP release concert at Diane’s Deli & Internet Café are $5. For more information, call Diane’s Deli at 570-602-5200, or visit Our Ashes Remain on Facebook or on ReverbNation.