Out of Ashes

iTunes Review

Aside from his main bread and butter, Linkin Park’s frontman Chester Bennington also performs with Julien-K, an electro synth-pop act, so Dead By Sunrise is Bennington’s third main project (though when it started in 2005 the band then bore the moniker Snow White Tan). Along with Amir Derahk and Elias Andra from Julien-K (both guys also hail from the band Orgy and help import some synthy atmospherics here), Dead By Sunrise’s debut album Out of Ashes births dark and moody guitar-driven hard rock that couldn’t be explored in Bennington’s other outfits. The aptly titled “Fire” opens with scorching gusto as Bennington’s searing vocals burn through the ascending chorus like a jet breaking the sonic barrier. “Crawl Back In” is a powerful rocker loaded with the kind of razor-barbed hooks and soaring harmonies that are capable of laying melodious eggs in your brain — choosing this infectious tune as the album’s lead single was a no-brainer. The similarly catchy “My Suffering” sounds like it was created to accompany the flicking of dyed-black bangs from the eyes of misunderstood teens worldwide.