INTERVIEW: ASHES OF ARES IN CONVERSATION WITH MATT BARLOW
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Matt Barlow Talks About ‘New Messiahs’
Ashes of Ares is an American power metal band that was formed in 2012 through the collaboration of musicians Matt Barlow (vocals) and Freddie Vidales (guitar/bass). They were both former members of Iced Earth but they wanted to change how they created their music. So, they formed Ashes of Ares, to give voice to their music and their shared vision: to create a sound, songs and music that reflects their personal influences, ideas, and revelations.
From their four albums: ‘Ashes Of Ares’, ‘Well Of Souls’, ‘Emperors And Fools’ to their newest album ‘New Messiahs’ – Ashes Of Ares have been delivering music and the songs that are important to them and they hope people will listen to, engage with and provide a soundtrack and meaning to their fan’s lives. Matt Barlow discussed the importance of music: “For us we want to write songs that resonant with our fans. We want our music to help them, be about them and to trigger memories that are important to them – not so much about us. That’s my life’s work – to make music and give it a voice with Freddie that our fans will love”.
Ashes of Ares new album ‘New Messiahs’ pushes those boundaries and continues the band’s relentless pursuit of sonic excellence in a new collection of 12 songs that has their signature sound. “Yes. Our signature sound is there, but we do change it up a bit,” said Matt Barlow. “This record has a darker tone. We found ourselves going back to our roots in music. My roots are in the trash metal I loved. For Freddie, it is his love of death metal. I guess for me – I can’t change my voice – it’s me – but we are writing differently. And, we hope that people can see and hear our songs through their own way of listening”.
When asked about the first single ‘From Hell He Rides’ Matt Barlow confirmed: “Yes. I am a comic nerd. The song is about the Marvel character Ghost Rider”. Matt Barlow revealed that “The song ‘From Hell He Rides’ is about one of my favourite characters. Each record we try and do a song tribute like this and in ‘New Messiahs’ it’s the legend of Ghost Rider that we decided to bring to life”.
The second single that fans can hear before the album’s release is ‘Wake Of Vultures’. It captures Ashes of Ares emotional intensity, sharp song writing, and appealing melodies. “Our new album ‘New Messiahs’ has a range of influences” stated Matt Barlow. “Freddie has really got to grips with his amazing guitar tunings. He is quite a musician. We have Kyle Taylor on drums and guest appearances from Charlie Honig, Craig Blackwell, and Todd La Torre. We even have a surprise bonus song which is a cover of Elton John’s ‘And The House Fell Down’ and I hope that fans can see that for us – we want the songs we write and play to be music that they can interpret, enjoy and make it about them”.
“Music – and being a professional musician – is what it is all about for me,” said Matt Barlow. “I am not the party guy. I am the singer – the album guy – it’s about the music! I want people to enjoy our albums and songs. We think we have given the new album an interesting tone, enhanced its flair and flavours. And, we can’t wait to road test it”.
Ashes of Ares will be touring Europe in September/October with stops in Greece, Poland and Germany to namecheck a few countries. “It will be great to get out and tour with this new album,” said Matt Barlow. The band, Ashes of Ares, has the reputation for delivering electrifying live performances. When asked if Australia was on their minds, Matt Barlow stated, “We would love to tour Australia. Freddie has been. But I haven’t. We just need to be asked over but it’s hard as it all has to come together. Try and get promoters to get us over as we would love to do that”.
Ashes of Ares new album ‘New Messiahs’ continues the evolution of the band as they progress their commitment to genuine, authentic and powerful music that transcends boundaries and they hope their sound and song writing will resonate deeply with fans in Australia.
The album ‘New Messiahs’ will be released on vinyl, CD and digital formats in Europe on the 18 July 2025. It will be released in United States of America on the 8 August 2025 via ROAR.
Pre-order your favourite choice of format at: https://ashesofares.rpm.link/nmalbumPR
