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Track Listing: When You Fall Walk Away Tightrope Truth The Suffering Within Pull the Trigger The Verge of Consequence 20 20 Blind Misery Welcome To Me Seed

"261" is the 2nd release from Phoenix Arizona metal outfit Back from Ashes.

The album begins with the high-octane track "When you Fall", which reminds me of a toned down Lamb of God song. The vocals are perfectly suited for the song, and the guitar work is simplistic, coherent, and diverse in terms of riffs. The rest of the musicianship is exceptional as well, from the pounding drums, and relatively audible bass. This was a great choice for an opening track.

Another great track off "261" is "The Suffering Within." Opening with a clean acoustic sound, the song transitions into what can only be described as a modern hardcore ballad. The balance of clean and overdriven guitar work on this track is superb, and the vocals really make the song complete. The band really seemed to put a lot of energy and emotion into this song, making it, in my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album.

What I really like about this album is that the band seems to follow a "we do what we like" mantra. While they have a solid and definite sound, their songs all manage to sound fresh, and nothing really runs together.

Tracks like "Misery" and "20-20 Blind" bleed pure metal energy, while tracks like "Seed" and "The Suffering Within" show the more emotional side of the band.

Although Back from Ashes hasn't been in the scene for a long time, they have already managed to make their name known in the heavy metal underground. "261" is an incredible effort, and the band really seems to know what they're doing. "261" is definitely an album worth checking out.