Meltdown

Note that the following information relates to the Australian release of the Ash album Meltdown. However, details of non-Australian releases are listed in the Other Versions section.

Release details

Artist Ash

Title Meltdown

Release type Album

Date of release 17th May 2004

Highest chart position Information not found

Record label Infectious Records

Catalogue number 5046731972

Producer Information not found

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Meltdown Tracklisting

1. Meltdown
2. Orpheus
3. Evil Eye
4. Clones
5. Starcrossed
6. Out of the Blue
7. Renegade Cavalcade
8. Detonator
9. On a Wave
10. Won't Be Saved
11. Vampire Love

Cover artwork

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Where To Buy

Downloadthe whole album:

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Other Versions

An American version of Meltdown was released on 8th March 2005 through the Record Collection record label. It has the tracklisting: 1. Meltdown 2. Orpheus 3. Evil Eye 4. Clones 5. Starcrossed 6. Out of the Blue 7. Renegade Cavalcade 8. Detonator 9. On a Wave 10. Won't Be Saved 11. Vampire Love 12. Shockwave 13. Solace 14. Cool It Down

Reviews

Amazon Review

If there's one thing that Meltdown proves, it's that young people just don't know how to rock. Because Ash, having spent the better part of their formative years in the music industry, have finally matured into a proper rock band. Leaving behind the power-pop leanings of their previous albums, frontman Tim Wheeler and his bandmates crank it up to 11 right from the opening riffs of the title track. This is the sound of a band who have spent a lot of time listening to the Smashing Pumpkins, particularly Siamese Dream, and it shows on tracks such as "Orpheus" and "Out of the Blue". Wisely, tho... Read full review »

The best Ash album yet?

Well perhaps not but it is definetely a 5 star album. the album is catchy and every song is great-I have no favourites. The album does betray their previous styles but only because they adapt their style with each album.
the album is a great introduction to the wonders of Ash (they are definetely one of the best best bands ever). the album defin... Read full review »

A very interesting direction...

Ash were one of those bands that were propelled into stardom at a very young age, thrust into the limelight after their explosive debut, '1977'. Widely regarded as one of the finest pop/punk-rock albums of the time, Ash were hailed as being at the forefront of a new wave of music. However, since those heady first days, their sound has altered and evolved, via some good tracks, some bad tracks, and some that ventured in between. Right now, with a new album out and touring some of the student unions in the UK, Ash's fourth studio album, 'Meltdown', remains a bit of an enigma.

Why shift away from the poppy formula that served them so well with 'Free All Angels', or the loose energy of '1977'. Nobody can really understand a band's evolution save for the band itself, but in this case...I think it's both good and bad. In my opinion, whilst 'Meltdown' is an excellent album in itself, and has far more depth than previous albums, it lacks the killer instinct that both of the aforementioned albums had. There are a few standout tracks here, but generally, the album as a whole fits more coherently together an entire entity, rather than a bundle of hit tracks to listen to every now and again. If you want the true 'Meltdown' experience, you need to listen to the whole album.

As Amazon's description states (and many other reviewers on this site have observed), Meltdown is a hell of a lot heavier than anything Ash have done before. This is good, in the sense that they still have some really solid tracks that are great to rock along to, but they do lose some catchiness in some areas, fading away from the 'poppy' sound of Free All Angels. This is by no means a bad thing, and some things never change. Wheeler's voice is in good nick here, tuneful but also as powerful as it was on FAA (and is ably backed up by Hatherly's vocals, too), whilst the pair interplay well on the guitars. Nothing particularly complex that'll make you boggle in amazement, but they definitely know how to write some catchy and fun riffs, and the parts of the song fit very well together. Perhaps the largest improvement from previous albums is McMurray's drumming, which is now of the highest order, driving the songs along rather than simply keeping up a decent tempo- this is one of the main reasons that the album is that little bit heavier than before. And of course, Hamilton's steady bass remains just that, sandwiched between the be... Read full review »

Letdown rather than Meltdown

I saw this on Amazon for under £1 so I gave it a try. I regularly listen to 1977, Free All Angels and Intergalactic Sonic, but for me this is just too... Read full review »

Meltdown rocks!

A move away from the chart friendly sound of 'free all angels', meltdown is full on heavy rock, but as always with a... Read full review »

Bit of a letdown

I have been an Ash fan for a long time, despite resistance against Ash by most of my friends. I play their previous songs 24/7, such as Girl From Mars, Candy and even Kung Fu, and I admire their songwriting talent. However, I thought that only a handful of son... Read full review »

Lyrics

You can get the lyrics to the songs on Meltdown from the Bands Only Ash lyrics section.