As a debut album, 'Ashes' doesn't disappoint.. - Metal Hammer VIEW

THE PROPHECY brings the spirit of nearly forgotten art back to the present! Beware! Misery is approaching - Shroud of Woe VIEW

Feedback Magazine VIEW

It's hard to believe that The Prophecy aren't signed, as they are easily as good as anything out there today in the doom/death metal field. "Ashes", the title track of this independent release, highlights that fact, and the melodic yet heavy music coupled with the throaty, rasping vocal delivery sets the scene for the other five tracks on this album. "The Killing Fields" has an epic quality to the music that oozes gloom and then changes to a more melodic nature and then back to the grinding doom-filled style. The vocals are sandwiched between slabs of pure, unadulterated, doom laden guitar riffs. "The Prophecy" possesses all of these qualities with more of a melodic slant within the song. "Dawn" rips straight into the heart of the song, grabs it with both hands, tearing it out abd leaving the listener desperate for more. There is a more up-tempo pace to this song with more noticable keyboard accompaniment. "Blackened Desire" starts even faster, with breakneck riffing, before settling into a less frantic pace but retaining the angst. "Till Light Enshrouds", the final track, starts with an ambient feel then gives way to the doom bound style that has emerged for the rest of this album. Intricate guitaring laced with dark vocals and operatic keyboards keep up the brilliant quality that The Prophecy have created on "Ashes". The band weave an atmosphere throughout their songs that could be cut with a knife. Heavy, metal vocals with hypnotic and brutal guitar work will place this band alongside My Dying Bride but with more gut wrenching vocals and heavier guitars. 7 powerpoints - Glenn Butler - Powerplay Magazine

Well, I've found the best CD of 2003!!!!
The Prophecy - Ashes, This is just the best damn thing that I've heard since that Green Carnation CD, although it's silly to compare these two bands. The Prophecy is just a sweet ass combination of everything that makes doom so fucking awesome, I'd say these guys are a tad better than Mourning Beloveth, mainly because of their drastic shifts, somehow they manage to be so damn heavy one moment and then mellow as hell the next, while still maintaining a doom metal atmosphere, this isn't funeral doom or vampire doom or any of that other stuff, this is just straight up metal that's heavy and pummeling, lots of great clean singing along with some scary growls, the lead playing is superb. I was only able to get this CD directly from Blackdoom records in the UK, this label was formed by Andrew Craighan of My Dying Bride and he sent me the CD himself.
I think that in the future you can expect some great things from this label. - Vance - Jens Metal Pages

The ultimate sadness in music. The ultimate knowledge of the uselessness and the precariousness of life traduced in music. Our most dreadful fears, hiding in our unconsciousness but ready to shout out their reality when we are unaware. The infinite decline of the human race ……….hey! Stop touching yourself…….I’m just describing the sublime art of The Prophecy!!! But…..Who are The Prophecy? Just five English guys and a woman at the keyboards with already a debut album called “To End All Hope” well accepted by the critics. So far, then “Ashes” is their second cd and it arrives at the end of a mini European tour in which the band touched ten different countries in the company of the Irish Mourning Beloveth and the American Morgion. The proposition of The Prophecy is a sublime gothic metal slightly touched by death metal influences especially in the growling vocals. To make it clear for you readers, in this album you can hear My Dying Bride, Crematory, Cathedral and the new Anathema. But this doesn’t mean that the Prophecy are copying those bands. In fact is not like that at all. They learnt from the masters, they re-elaborated with taste and cleverness creating a sound that let us think that sometimes the pupils overtake the masters! If you like this kind of metal, sometimes not easy to digest, you’ll discover the joy of listening to this masterpiece. Even if all the songs are long, around 8 minutes each, you won’t get bored because the band managed to alternate thrilling harmonious and melancholic guitars’ riffs to sepulchral moments like the old Black Sabbath and to more delicate and liquid moments like Pink Floyd. The best tracks (for the writer) are n. 3 “The Prophecy”, a fantastic 9 minutes song and n. 6 “Till Light Enshrouds” characterized by the supreme semi-parlato in Anathema style. A different stile is the track n. 5 that recalls the early My Dying Bride of “As the Flower Withers”. And what else can I say…….The presentation of the cd is great and the cover is perfectly in style with the music: a misty and melancholic sea. In the end……The Prophecy are a great surprise and a great promise for the future and “Ashes” is a fantastic album that can give deep emotions to the listeners! Score Voto: 9.5/10 - Randolph Carter - Shapeless Zine Italy

Doom, what a wonderful genre of metal, sad feelings, emptiness, despair, sorrow and all those things that balance the happy moments of life. The fact that there’s a group of people making sad music makes me want to be depressed just to appreciate the music, I don’t know if it’s just me but I enjoy my Doom records better when I’m sad. Right now I’m feeling kinda down, so is the time to review this one, The prophecy and his first effort under the new British label Blackdoom Records. The Prophecy hails from the same area as Doom masters Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, so some of the influences are clear, listening Ashes is like hearing some old release of My Dying Bride, in other words, great. I could say great things about this album, but the greatest here is Matt Lawson, the vocalist, he has a deep growl, and a sorrowful clean voice, just listen the opener track 'Ashes' and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The songs are long and slow, like Doom should be, except for 'Blackened Desire' a really fast and upbeat song, that seems to me more of a Black Metal song than a Doom/Death one, still is a great song, and by far, the heaviest of the album. The song 'The Prophecy' is a brilliant masterpiece, clocking almost 10 minutes, here’s where this guys show us how Doom Metal should be done! Matt Lawson vocals sound great on this one, and the guitar leads are just so deep [just check out the long solo in the middle of the song], definitively my favorite track on this album. A special mention to the cover art, which is just great, and the booklet could have included some lyrics, but you can found them on the website. If you are fan of My Dying Bride, and Doom Metal in general, check this out, a really good album, with excellent musicianship, and great vocals. Reviewed by Undercraft - Metal Storm Magazine

In Metal there are a few countries that are very closely connected to a certain tradition. I only say Norway - Black Metal, Germany - Thrash and Power Metal, Florida - Death Metal etc. Great Britain, too, has such a tradition and THE PROPHECY fully stand in that one: Doom/Death Metal. Bands like MY DYING BRIDE, ANATHEMA, old PARADISE LOST or if you leave out the Death part of course BLACK SABBATH have been/are the ancestors and THE PROPHECY show absolute potential to become part of them with their debut "Ashes", because the six songs that they present us with here are strong, really strong! And the sextet manages not to sound like one of these bands, but take the sound and put it onto their own level. That the band hails from Yorkshire is also more than just coincidence as this also is the birth region of MY DYING BRIDE and PARADISE LOST, must be something in the water...
What is quite obvious right away is the use of keyboards, which add another dimension to the melancholic sound, an additional atmosphere and warmth that works excellently with the strong riffs of the Brits and the mostly sluggish tempo, altogether creating a mood that is at the same time menacing and still comforting and can play with the best out there, no exaggeration!
Heaviest Doom riffs meet beautiful melancholic/melodic guitar leads, a deep (but understandable) growl sporadic clean passages, mostly slow tempo a few faster outbursts, melancholy meets atmosphere that the brightest day darkens and within the ton heavy sound suddenly acoustic guitars that ignite a spark of hope in the deep sadness of the compositions.
Best example for all of this without a doubt is "The Killing Fields", a monumental track that at first listen already forevermore has me in its vice like grip, this song already now stands in the line of future classics, because here almost everything fits that makes truly magnificent Doom/Death Metal, great, that's what I call a true hymn! The opening title track "Ashes" already has broken the ground by then, with also great Doom/Death Metal, the atmospheric keyboards in the background and damn good riffing…
"The Prophecy" will then put all fans of MY DYING BRIDE into seventh heaven, because the only word that I could use for this track is: celebrate. This is pure Doom, slow, melodic, melancholic, with clean as well as growled vocals and an almost hypnotizing atmosphere that inevitably pulls you in. The following "Dawn" brings us a few faster passages before "Blackened Desire" breaks through the Doom/Death of THE PROPHECY with some pure Black/Death attacks, which for themselves are not bad, just do not really fit into the overall atmosphere and mood of the album. The closing "Till Light Enshrouds" finally starts with a lone lead guitar of pure melancholy before turning into another Doom/Death hit.
All in all I have to attest THE PROPHECY a more than remarkable debut with "Ashes", which bears everything in it to catapult them into the pantheon of Doom/Death Metal in the very near future already, so if you like the mentioned bands, then do not hesitate a single second and get "Ashes" still today!- 9/10 - Alex - www.metal-observer.com

Once you leave the choking confines of London and venture further North a feeling of satisfaction starts to take over. There is nothing more poetic than smelling the sulphurous fumes belching from the factories and power stations, and strolling along cobbled streets and the barren countryside. Obviously there are the bigger and ugly cities sprawled out amongst the valleys of green and grey and these are the haunts of some of England s finest and most desolate bands. The obvious ones to cite are Paradise Lost (early years), Anathema and My Dying Bride and with Ashes we can now add The Prophecy to that list.
This is actually the first band to be signed to Blackdoom, a record label set up by members  of the aforementioned My Dying Bride. I really expect that this is a label that is going to slowly build up a roster of quality bands that are all going to be rather special. Ashes contains 6 tracks soaked in maturity that unwind over the 48-minute running time. These are songs that you will find yourself becoming immersed in and nothing is rushed despite some sporadic bursts of aggression. The title track seeps in with a chord that really reminds me of Paint It Black before life slowly and heavily is breathed into the piece. This is a doom laden and miserable affair that is drenched in a nihilistic futility. Yet it is at the same time uplifting courtesy of the jagged harmonious riffing. Singer Matt Lawson has deep roaring vocals that boom forth perfectly in the mix. The funereal tones lyrically invoke, scattered petals fall on your grave with a clarity that has you imagining them being picked up in slow motion by the gentle breeze and being dispersed to rot and decay where they lie. The Killing Fields picks up the pace and the guitars clamour away with a Machine Head edged spikiness. Things quickly settle back into a gravid syrupy flow that gently has you drowning in the sticky depths. A mid-point dreamy acoustic passage fits in perfectly before the heaviosity is restored for a snarling finale. The Prophecy is a track with lush solos and heartfelt clean vocals and one that during its labyrinthine 9 minutes unravels oh so slowly. Towards the end we reach a passage with an almost hey nonny nonny feel recalling the likes of Skyclad and Sabbat. Dawn is angrily despatched giving the feeling that it is a blood soaked sky that is rearing its ugly head and a violent and tempestuous day is going to stormily follow. This is flung out with moments of barbaric tension interspersed with peaceful sparse and gloomy stages. It is impossible not to make comparisons to My Dying Bride here and also Primordial, but as it is done so well I have absolutely no complaints. The savagery illustrated here comes to the fore with Blackened Desire, which is a thrash laden death metal assault at odds with the rest of the album. Complete with blackened keyboard swathes and squealing guitars this rampage really confounds the listener and is completely unexpected. It leaves me in two minds as to whether the track should have been included on this album or not. Till Light Enshrouds could almost be a track from Brides The Light At The End Of The World. It conjures up the same bleak vision with the never-ending guitar chord at its start. The vocals and keyboards both blast in with gargantuan effect but this is a misnomer as we settle back into a comforting and peaceful flow. The melancholic depths of Ashes means that this is an album that is not going to be an instant accessible hit. There is perhaps too much to take in on the first few listens but it is definitely an album that grows on you. The only negative aspect I can pass on this is that The Prophecy are treading the paths of those before them too closely. If this had come out at the same time as My Dying Brides new album (damn I hate mentioning them so often here but it is impossible not to) I think any sales may well have been affected. That aside The Prophecy are definitely a band that I will be keeping a close eye on and Ashes is an album that I will be dipping into a lot in the future.  - Review by Pete - live4metal.com

When I heard the MY DYING BRIDE-inspired demo “To End All Hope” from THE PROPHECY I was sure that they’d be signed by a label within no time. But much to my surprise the next release by the band, the full-length album “Ashes”, is again released by the band itself. Having that said, the band did finally sign a deserved contract with new label Blackdoom Records, but all after the release of “Ashes”.
On “Ashes” we find four new tracks and two coming from the aforementioned “To End All Hope”, being “The Killing Fields” and “Till Light Enshrouds”. There is not a big difference between the style of the new material and the older songs: The musical style of THE PROPHECY is still slow, melodic and atmospheric Doom Metal. I do have to admit that on this album the band doesn’t sound exactly like MY DYING BRIDE, although it’s clear that that band was an influence on THE PROPHECY. And to be honest, at first I was slightly disappointed in “Ashes”, since the older songs struck me as much better than the newer material. But after multiple listens the album kept growing on me, and now I have to say that the entire album is absolutely great. The atmosphere on the album, mostly due to the eerie sound of the keyboards played by new member Katie Colbrook, is absolutely phenomenal, like in the chorus of “Ashes” and on tracks such as “The Killing Fields” and “Dawn”. This effect is also underlined by the guitars, that have a dimmed and dark sound that doesn't take away any of their power. “Blackened Desire” shows a somewhat different side of the band, being slightly more aggressive and featuring a fair bit of Black Metal influences in addition to the Doom Metal foundation. This is in my opinion a good sign of progression from the band that continues to impress me with the newest album. I think the bigger labels have made a mistake by not signing THE PROPHECY. Fortunately they did get a contract now, and if I’m correct the new label Blackdoom Records will be re-issuing the full length debut of THE PROPHECY. That will be a great opportunity for everyone to familiarise themselves with the beauty of “Ashes” - Vincent - Vampire Magazine

England must be one damned depressing place. It seems to spawn doom metal bands like the cold cold forests of Norway breed black metal warriors. Like fellow Brits Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, The Prophecy are kind of blue. Life has them down, they're upset, and they want you to know about it... thus they have produced Ashes, forty eight minutes of melancholic metal missives that occasionally burst into a thundering angry rant. While normally I loathe listening to others vent their frustrations, I'll make an exception if they set their complaints to a catchy metal crunch. On Ashes, The Prophecy don't imitate their countrymen, but they do borrow many stylistic trappings from Paradise Lost's maudlin manifestos. Matt Lawson's vocals resemble Nick Holmes' bellowing before he decided to drop his larynx-shredding rasp after Shades Of God. The songwriting on Ashes recalls the doomy thrash epics of Paradise Lost's Draconian Times without becoming derivative. Ashes and Draconian Times also share a thick, sumptuous sound thanks to their production that allows each track to cover a vast sonic expanse. Thankfully, this doesn't drown the life out of the performance. The many guitar leads are fraught with pathos, the vocals are impassioned, and the emotion behind the music is real and readily apparent. The Prophecy avoid the pitfalls of sticking too tightly to genre conventions by tinting their sound with flourishes of fiery death metal... otherwise, Ashes generally lumbers along at slow-to-mid tempo, lethargically hammering its morose melodies into the listener's subconscious. Every now and then, though, the band musters the energy to really cut loose. Several tracks are in fact full-fledged death metal screeds which balance out the less energetic, more woefully doom-laden side of the scales. Thanks to the varying tempos presented across the album, monotony never sets in, and the mood seamlessly drifts between regretful sorrow and outright anger. If you were one of the people who freaked out when Paradise Lost went all 'Sisters of Mercy' upon releasing One Second and beyond, you will surely adore this direct spiritual descendent to their earlier, heavier, grimly fatalistic-er sound. If you have no idea who I'm talking about and just want to know if you'll like The Prophecy and their engaging new album Ashes... well, thats easy to answer. If you like heavy, lugubrious doom metal that sometimes lapses into fits of deathy attack, you will enjoy Ashes. I can safely prophesy that this Prophecy is one that fans of the genre will heed for years to come. Reviewed by Joel Steudler - http://www.starvox.net

Summer in Boston really isn't the best time to review any doom metal, but fortunately for me, this week has been rainy enough to bring my spirits down to the proper level where doom can be fully appreciated. England's The Prophecy is the first signing to the new record label Blackdoom Records, and so far Blackdoom is batting 1.000. What's in store for the listener is some excellent doom/death metal from the My Dying Bride-school of melancholy.

Matt Lawson's vocals alternate between a deep death growl like Akerfeldt in the early Opeth days, to a droning clean voice that's used sparingly. The drumwork of John Bennett is naturally not the fastest thing you'll ever hear but he does a fine job of varying beats and fills in order to keep the slower parts interesting. But what really makes this album a winner is the gripping guitarwork of Greg O'shea and Christian Moore-Wainwright. Ashes is full of harmonized leads that create bleak soundscapes that suck the listener in and crush his/her spirits. But fear not, there's plently of thick, heavy crunch to be had, it's just not played at 250 bpm. Sparse, atmospheric keys are contributed by the newly-recruited Katie Colbrook. As hard as it is to believe in today's world of dark metal, she's not doing any operatic vocals. Ashes has mostly great, fitting production, although those few times when they jump into a fast death metal-mode, the guitars just sound thin and underproduced: garage-like. Turn em up!

Ashes has six tracks, mostly in the 8-10 minute range, but they keep each song interesting throughout. The Prophecy (song title) is my favorite. It's over nine minutes in length, overflowing with beautifully dreary leads. It's as if they play a 5-minute solo in the middle, and then the song takes a left turn, ending with an upbeat, folky theme. On the other hand, Blackened Desire is by far the heaviest song on the album. This band may also have a future in blackened death metal. Imagine a raw, dirty, more-intense Slayer from the mid-80's, crossed with atmospheric black metal, like Dimmu Borgir from a few albums back. Also stellar is the closer Till Light Enshrouds. A ten minute journey of depressing that plods along slowly, yet never getting dull. The ending of the song is like a slow, somber, sweet death to the album. This isn't "slit your wrist"-music, it's "swallow a bottle of pills, turn the lights out, light a candle, and slowly wait for the darkness"-music.

The Prophecy kicks ass. They're hitting the States on the Doomination of America tour in August with Morgion and Mourning Beloveth. This won't appease the brutal metallers, but then again, they probably stopped reading after the first paragraph anyway. For anyone else who appreciates the dark and crushing side of doom, get your hands on Ashes. - Metal Review

By now, I think you all know Morgion, Evoken and Mourning Beloveth. Well, soon we'll have to add another band at the foot of the list of the greatest Doom Metal bands that exist on our dear blue planet. And that name is The Prophecy. The particular thing here is that the guys have a tremendously great guitar playing, which is characterized by twin phrasings that follow nearly folkish themes. And that adds a lot of dynamics to the songs, even though we're still talking about Doom Metal, which of course implies great heaviness and slowness in order to keep the genre hundred percent authentic. Vocals are deep, sometimes harsh and growling and they add some more weight to the already crushing atmospheres. The use of synths is reduced to bare necessities and does not make the songs sound floppy. I was about to say that the sound could have been better but I was just thinking of some solo parts that would have been better if dubbed and that's nothing but a simple detail. As a matter of fact, the whole album sounds very nice and I wouldn't change anything - Beyond.be

Having found The Prophecy's _To End All Hope_ demo rather interesting, I was pleased to receive this independently released full-length from the band. Expecting more early-'90s British doom revival as the first track kicked in, I was taken aback by how much the band's sound seemed to have changed compared to what I remembered of their demo. The first track on _Ashes_ is more laid-back and atmospheric metal-tinged, as the band seemed to have mellowed a bit instrumentally, opting for a more straightforward metal approach in place of doom dirges. Later in the album stronger doom influences surface, as indicated by the superbly melancholic ending of the opening track, and overall the music is still very much doom-oriented. The best sequence in the album comes near the end of the second track, a re-recording of "The Killing Fields" from their demo: an acoustic guitar interlude leads into "The Prophecy", a more melancholic, My Dying Bride-ish track. The band then goes into thrashy mode later in the album, before closing on a doomier note again with the re-recording of "Till Light Enshrouds". I would have preferred more of the dreary material such as "The Prophecy" and "Till Light Enshrouds" and less of the atmospheric metal and faster stuff, but things are kept pleasant throughout. The Prophecy continue to show promise as they reach several excellent moments on _Ashes_, and the experience they must have gathered participating in the recent Doomination of Europe tour (with Morgion and Mourning Beloveth) will surely be useful in the future. Considering this is only their first album, The Prophecy are likely to further consolidate their style and come back with a superior release next time around - Chronicles of Chaos

The world is in a dismal state. War, hate, misery and famine plague the globe, and hope and solace are almost as hard to find as the My Dying Bride ‘Stories’ Box Set. However, the comfort and joys of music offer great consolation through this doomy existence, and The Prophecy’s ‘Ashes’ is no exception. So, head over to bands website order the album, and damn well wallow!

For ‘Ashes’ is a near-50 minute experience of immense passion, desperation, sorrow, anger and grief, from a (somewhat hypocritically of my opening statement) massively promising, fantastic group of talented and distinguished young individuals. The Prophecy originate from Yorkshire, England, the same location that has spawned greats such as Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, and that may well have produced another great with this band. The band have deservedly developed quite a following worldwide since their conception in 1999, especially in their home country of the UK, and were one of the headlining acts on the infamous ‘Doomination of Europe’ tour. This impressive third release should only increase the bands popularity, and thrust them to high status within the doom-metal scene.

On their official website, the band have described themselves as ‘renaissance doom/death metal’, and this is a seemingly accurate categorisation. This mostly innovative and unique album presenting a haunting, bitter and anguished atmosphere of tantalising doom-metal drenched with gothic, atmospheric, death and heavy metal influences. The music is raw though reasonably well produced, energetic, powerful, emotive and heavy, and is very much metal. Featuring, at times melancholic, soulful, clean (acoustic and electric) guitar passages, as well as heavy dosages of thunderous and unmerciful riffage, notably impressive vocals courtesy of Matt Lawson featuring a range of ardour moans, whispers and singing and wretched and dejected screams, growls and groans, as well as sombre and moody keyboards that, though at times sound a little too synthetic, are nevertheless fundamental and affective. And all this and so much more musical and emotional brilliance comprises this near-flawless and wonderful record, with all six slow and doomy yet energetic and moving songs impressing me at least very much, and no doubt countless others; The Prophecy are certainly a band to take note of. From the poignant, potent, devastating anthem ‘The Killing Fields’ to the quick, aggressive death/black metal assault of ‘Blackened Desire’, to the woeful, abrasive, majestic and atmospheric masterpiece and personal favourite ‘Till Light Enshrouds’, this is a top quality album from a top quality, fresh young band, that, with this record promise a marvellous future for them, and for doom-metal as a whole - Reviewed by: Stephen Burrell - Doom-Metal.com

The Prophecy play beautiful doom metal that has a melodic element which peaks most other acts in the same vein. Their saddened, guttural vocals sound like a monster who lost a loved one. They intermingle clean and heavy vocals, as well as they do guitars. At the end of "The Killing Fields" there is an acoustic guitar part which goes into a great distorted section and the vocals follow suit.
When I reviewed this band's "To End All Hope" demo, I commented on a song reaching nine minutes in length. Well this time, there is only one song that is five minutes long - the other five songs are all about eight or nine minutes long. I've said this before and I'll say it again - it is a difficult task to make a song of such extreme length remain interesting enough to listen to all the way through. But The Prophecy have the know how to keep things from becoming stale. "Ashes" is an impressive followup to "To End All Hope" and the band are already planning on hitting the studio for yet another release. True workhorses and if the next release shows as much improvement on an already exquisite style as this one did, I look forward to hearing it - danowar - http://www.into-obscurity.com/

Hailing from England this group throws down six tracks (with only one running less than seven minutes) of diverse doom metal that seems to take influences from everyone from early Paradise Lost and Anathema to a little bit of My Dying Bride, all with a slightly modern spin. The vocals are generally aggressive growls, but they do incorporate some singing and whispering as well, as they similarly shift the dynamics of the songs with nice clean/acoustic breaks or atypical rock chord progressions (never abandoning the darker vibe that the music tends to give off). There's suitable dual guitar interaction with melodic lead lines or dual guitar harmonies over heavy rhythms, tasteful uses of keyboards as accentuating textures, driving chord progressions, simple yet powerful drumbeats, etc. The guitar parts are actually fairly unique for this style of music, taking the classic formula and adding in an original flare with some unusual time signatures and note choices that really add to the atmosphere. The tempos aren't too mundane, but I certainly wouldn't mind hearing a bit more work with both faster and slower tempos. Nothing too extreme, just a bit more variation towards both ends of the spectrum. I definitely feel that the recording hurts them, because the songwriting and riffs are strong, but the recording is too thin and lacking in sheer density to do their work justice. I can scarcely hear an ounce of bass, the drums are a bit flimsy, the guitars are crunchy but lack density, etc. The vocals sound pretty close to dead on, as do the keyboards, but the rest of the mix needs a lot more low-end force and overall emphasis on thick, destructive power, because under different circumstances these songs could absolutely pummel. The layout is pretty straightforward. The imagery all consists of flames and steaming hot matter resulting from a volcano eruption, the text is simple and easy to read, etc. They waste a bit of space repeating information and they don't include lyrics or anything, but whatever. It looks okay. I've seen better, I've seen worse. My two cents? With a slightly tighter performance, a hint more tempo variation, and a more powerful recording, you'll really see this band going somewhere. Admittedly the songs can be a bit tedious at an average running time of around eight minutes or so, but it's not a huge problem. And I see no reason why a suitable record label shouldn't be willing to help them on their way, because this self-released effort certainly divulges the potential brewing within. Not too shabby…
6/10 - Aversionline

One of the revelations of the Doomination of Europe tour 2003 in February was the second band on stage : The Prophecy. They come from Halifax and this means that they are raised in the middle of the nineties doom scene where groups as My Dying Bride, Anathema and Paradise Lost wrote history. Although some of these pioneers are evolved far from their original sound, The Prophecy keeps the fire burning and released a CD with some pearls in steady doom style
I can hardly believe that ‘Ashes’ is a self-made and self-financed product, the sound is warm and fantastic. We can read on the cover : ‘Produced and mixed by Al Smith’. Unbelievable ! It’s a small world : this man was sound engineer in 1998 at the Tilburg gig of Anathema. Six long tracks lead us through a mysterious musical landscape, like the loveliness of a fresh flower at the break of dawn.
‘Ashes’ opens with breaking riffs, a constant base with a momentary grunt, but above all we must be charmed by the smooth carpet of keyboards. Halfway this song there are clean vocals and melodic guitar lines; it all sounds perfectly harmonious. It’s no wonder that the audience of the Frontline was immediately fond of this group. Also ‘The killing fields’ shows us more than one mood. A growl glides into slipping notes of guitar, rough vocals and groovy rhythms. Then Greg starts playin’ those fine melodies and virtuosity goes hand in hand with accents and melancholy. The last two minutes bring us acoustic guitar and a whispering voice. It’s filled with moments of recognizing for the doom fan. It feels like homecoming and the orchestra just plays your favourite tune in a slightly different version. ‘O sweet oblivion’, we’ve heard it all before, but this is something else.
The pinnacle of the CD is for me nowadays the third track ‘The prophecy’. Slower doom, voices full of lamentation and as a surplus the dominate guitars, they howl, they cry and they take us by storm to guide you to other places than this wicked world. This song has an introvert timbre and ends as a folky tune. Sounds like an Irish band for a moment.
‘Dawn’ sounds rather bombastic, with bright keyboards and a Neanderthal feeling in vocals and drums. Many changes in rhythm, but even so there is easily switched between different styles, going from acoustic parts to death/doom. It’s the song which remind me the most of current My Dying Bride. ‘Blackened desire’ rocks hard and it’s the perfect song to react on your fucking job. The last song ‘Till light enshrouds’ has some atmospheric moods with Hendrix guitars to land in an acoustic meadow with peaceful feeling.
What struck me on this CD : Matt has a perfect voice in many styles, the music breathes the warmth of a group real musicians not stained by any commercial aim. Old and new influences are mixed in their own creations and I’m looking forward to their new release! - Vera ‘Gothica’ Matthijssens - http://www.gothcore.nl - http://www.prog-nose.org

Arrivati al loro secondo disco, i The Prophecy dimostrano che le buone sensazioni avute con il loro debut album si sono riconfermate alla grande con questo nuovo "Reveletion", lavoro che ci regala una prova maiuscola della band. Affondando le proprie radici in quel doom/death metal che ha reso grandi band come i My Dying Bride, i nostri sviluppano un discorso personale, fatto di decadenza e sofferenza come il buon doom inglese insegna. Gli elementi vincenti ci sono tutti: melodie decadenti, alternanza di voce growl e pulita, violini struggenti, chitarre pesanti e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Il filo conduttore fra una song e l'altra è sicuramente la tristezza: ascoltare questo disco è una vera mazzata nello stomaco, tanto ogni singola nota è pregna di quel senso di desolazione, di solitudine e di malinconia che ha fatto grandi molte band più blasonate dei The Prophecy. In questo i The Prophecy sono veri maestri, e non fanno rimpiangere i grandi nomi e, anzi, grazie a questo "Revelations" si candidano a diventare un must per tutti i cultori del genere edi entrare, da qui a poco, nel gotha del doom inglese. Le song sono tutte ben strutturate e dimostrano le qualità copositive e di arrangiamento della band: song lunghe della durata media di oltre 6 minuti, che non si ripetono mai ma, anzi, orchestrano gli elementi che le compongono con maestria e cura certosina. A tratti mi hanno ricordato anche gli Anathema per certe parti pulite dove il singer Matt Lawson la fa davvero da padrone. Da applausi, ovazioni e quant'altro, la titletrack, una song a dir poco sublime, lunghissima, con assoli da pelle d'oca, che da sola vale il prezzo del CD - Voto 7 - (Angelo Greco) - Babylon Magazine

The Prophecy provengono dall'Inghilterra e si presentano con questo mcd "Ashes" che contiene 6 canzoni che tracciano una linea indefinibile e di alto spessore didattico/creativo. Seppur la band non sia l'ultima arrivata in quanto è gia abbastanza conosciuta nei recenti percorsi metal europei, cosi come dimostra "The doomination of Europe" tour europeo di piu di dieci date assieme ai piu noti Morgion e Mourning Beloveth (cfr. recensione "Dust" Foreign Area) la band ha ancora bisogno di crescere e di maturare, pochi sono infatti da un punto di vista discografico i lavori della band che evidentemente in tutto il tempo della propria attivita ha dato piu spazio alle esibizioni e alle uscite live che alla produzione discografica. Siamo cosi davanti al nuovissimo lavoro "Ashes" che si presenta bene e si distingue sicuramente per originalita. La matrice è di natura nordica e la proposta potrebbe essere definita melodic and simphonic doom/dark metal. Spesso creare questi treni di etichette non mi piace perche mi sembra addirittura riduttivo quando una band come The Prophecy assemblano molti atteggiamenti musicali e diverse sfaccettature strumetali ma per convenzione definiamo la proposta della band, attorno al genere e alla direzione citata, come un prodotto molto esclusivo ed originale senz'altro; grandi atmosfere melodiche, portamenti a tratti doom a tratti heavy standard, inserti death e altri acustici e psichedelici con un gran lavoro delle guitars sia in fase di riffings che in fase solista, un eccellente riempimento delle keyboards, una sessione ritmica a dovere e delle vocals che variano dalle clean agli screams. Da brivido la leader title track. Insomma i doomers e gli estimatori sono richiamati all'attenzione da "Ashes" piccolo buon gioiellino da custodire e conservare con cura - Nero Opaco

Blackdoom Records è una nuova etichetta gestita dai chitarristi dei My Dying Bide, e non sorprende che la prima band messa sotto contratto siano gli inglesi The Prophecy, nome che circolava da un bel po' in ambienti underground, quasi sempre abbinato a lusinghieri giudizi. "Ashes" non delude le aspettative di chi si aspettava una solida formazione dedita ad un funereo doom metal, poiché in effetti di questo si tratta. La band attinge parecchio dai citati My Dying Bride, soprattutto quelli dei primi albums, di cui le chitarre sono testimoni. Oltre a questo, al fianco di composizioni lente, introspettive e tristi non mancano un paio di sfuriate di grezzo death metal, come ad esempio "Blackened Desire", che ricorda da vicino i richiami death metal primordiali di "As the Flowers Wither". Nonostante ciò, i nostri The Prophecy non si propongono solo come blandi esecutori e difatti un certo tocco epico piuttosto originale affiora qua e la ("The Prophecy" con un finale quasi folk, o la voce pulita di "The Killing Fields"), anche se la loro gloria se la meritano anche le marce funebri della title-track  e di "Dawn". Che dire, è un disco dal suono ottimo, piacevole all' ascolto e con tutti i crismi del genere. E' perciò un buon debutto che può preludere sia ad una buona carriera. Per adesso mi basta - Benzoworld

Si è parlato un pochino di questi The Prophecy più che altro perchè sono la prima band a essere stata messa sotto contratto dall'etichetta di alcuni membri dei My Dying Bride... la Blackdoom records. Proposta musicale molto metal, doom/death molto pesante, cantato in growl e screaming, riffoni possenti, passaggi veloci e rallentamenti. Fin qui nulla di nuovo... però devo dire che alcune melodie sono veramente ben calibrate, con una certa personalità e dotate di varie sfumature e le parti rallentate sono molto d' atmosfera anche grazie a synth non intrusivi.
Un disco decisamente carino che comunque ha qualcosa da dire rispetto alle uscite del periodo e si distingue per un certo carisma, certamente qualche canzone ve la ricorderete anche dopo un po' di tempo, come la title track e The Killing Fields e il bel doom-metal di The Prophecy. Magari ascoltatelo un pochino e giudicate da voi. Voto: 6+ DavS - Metal Maniacs (ITA)

The Prophecy impressed me with their self-financed mini album "To End All Hope" last year and now they have written enough material for a full-length release which I was eager hear. Hailing from the same area as British doom pioneers Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride they have certainly been influenced by the first generation of doom metal bands and that was very apparent on their first release. Their roots still clearly show on "Ashes" but now there is more than just the usual dismal dirges. The vocals have grown to become more mature and varied with both growls of anguish and clean songs of melancholy and the music show some more progressive elements than last time. Doom fans don't need to worry though because The Prophecy have far from abandoned their genre and most of the music is still as painfully slow and filled with strong emotions like sorrow, passion and desperation as it should be. A few line-up changes have occurred since the last time and the band have now lost the former Seer's Tear member Carl Fairhurst but also gained a new female keyboard player named Katie Colbrook. I can't really tell you if this could have had a strong impact on the band as a whole but what I can tell you is that The Prophecy is one of the most promising new European doom metal bands together with Ireland's Mourning Beloveth. Big things are starting to happen for them now as well as they will be heading out on a long American tour in support of Morgion in August this year, also joined by Mourning Beloveth. I particularly recommended this album to fans of early My Dying Bride." (7/10) - Vincent - Tartarean Desire

Just one year after the releasing of their previous demo "To end all hope", the English underground doom death masters called THE PROPHECY strike back with brand new material. And what a material ! With six tracks for almost fifty minutes of really great atmospheric doom death metal, the band is reaching a higher level and presents an "Ashes" close to perfection. Since "To end all hope", the band founds some real line-up with a second guitar player, a bass player and a keyboardist, so that they are able to tour now... and that's what they're doing, from Europe to Canada and the USA, spreading the word of doom with combos like MOURNING BELOVETH and MORGION. The six tracks contain new versions of two songs taken from the last demo : "The killing fields" and "Till light enshrouds", wich are really better than before because longer (2 minutes more for "The killing fields") and much more emotional. As you can imagine, this self-produced album is a typical piece of English doom death in the pure tradition of MY DYING BRIDE, that is dark, depressive, with lots of atmosphere and melodies. The vocals are mainly gutural, the tempo is often slow, but the shorter song (Blackened desire) sounds really powerful and will kick the ass of those who'll fall asleep. Roll on the album! - Séb 5/6 - Heavymetal - Universe

The band from UK is back with their new album, which this time is a full length and much more professional. It can hardly be considered a demo and we don’t mean just the cover, but also the much better production. These guys are proof enough that doom metal still lives in England and that there are bands who can play good music concerning doom metal. Their doom still has some death metal influences but this time they are a bit reduced and the music is more classic doom. What still remains in their music are the sadness and the obscure and ominous feeling which greatly enhance the atmosphere of the songs. Their doom is good, heavy, slow and classic. In our review of their demo we mentioned that they have to improve the production and they did it. It might not be perfect but for a self financed CD it is good. We strongly believe that these guys will find a deal in the near future and see their music released from a label and we have faith enough in the band to be sure we’ll hear their name again in the future. Keep an eye on them and you won’t be disappointed - Tombstone Magazine

The guys and girl of UK`s The Prophecy have outdone themselves with this release. When I first got to know this band from Yorkshire through their CDemo "To End all Hope" I wasn`t that impressed. Okay, it was a good release on which you could hear these 3 guys, at that moment, would be able to make a name for themselves. In the meanwhile they managed to recruit a proper line-up, there are 6 members in the band at the moment, and they`ve recorded a new MCD. Personally I think they could promote "Ashes" as a full-length with 6 songs and a playing time of 48 minutes. Their music is still in the early 90`s doom/ death-style, comparable to My Dying Bride. But, I have to say that The Prophecy isn`t that down-tuned. Compared to their aforementioned "To End all Hope"-release, they`ve made a giant leap forwards concerning songwriting and production. It`s just a great recording and they should be able to get a proper deal with this one. "Ashes" incorporates all elements that should be present on a doom/death recording and I advise all fans of this genre to check them out - Pim - Quintessence Zine

With an overall downtrodden 'doom' vibe vocally, the music of The Prophecyis a nice mix of different styles of metal (on the darker side of course) and prog rock for more of an upbeat aura that I was expecting. The title track for instance has very tasteful dynamic moments where harsh distortion in the guitars falls away to end the song with a nice atmosphere where colourful solo work weaves in and out of rock styled flexibility. The riffs themselves are always full of movement, if not a bit busy at times as they dig in with deeply melodic hooks, while working within a mid paced and minimal drum beat. Synth lines mirror the guitar progressions to add a moody dimension and thicken up the tone before twin guitar harmonies enchant with passionate refrains. Matt Lawson proves to be a very versatile weapon on 'Ashes'as his discernable style of growling fills the deepest chasm made by this music with woe, only to lift his register to more agonized shrieks before singing with a powerful croon to effectively accent the quieter moments of music on this album. Expect interesting turns in the song structures and 6 tracks that span every emotion known to human kind. How you react to the music depends on how you feel going into it. Fans of November's Doom, Morgion and the like will appreciate the diversity born at the heart of The Prophecy - Marty - WormGear Magazine