There’s a hard truth baked into heavy music: when it works, it works because it carries the bruises and the scars of lived experience. Ashes Awaken, a Christian metal outfit from Pittsburgh, don’t duck that truth. Their debut single, “A Better Way,” is a slab of crushing guitars and muscular rhythm, yes—but at its core, it’s a song about survival. It’s about standing on the brink, staring into the void of addiction and despair, and daring to believe that love—capital L, divine love—can pull you back.
The lyrics tell the story as clearly as the riffs drive it home. “I was lonely, looking for someone to comfort all my fears, to wipe away my tears,” the vocalist confesses, not with the posture of a preacher but with the rawness of someone who’s been there. It’s a universal ache, articulated in plain-spoken poetry. That simplicity is its strength. This isn’t metaphor piled on metaphor. It’s a straight talk about the nights when you thought nobody was coming to help.
What lifts it above cliché is the pivot: “Sick and tired of promises, only Love can show the truth.” That capital L is implied in the performance—this isn’t romance, it isn’t self-help. It’s Christ. It’s the rescue mission at the heart of the faith, set to double-kick drums and fretboard fire. In the hands of Ashes Awaken, that declaration becomes both war cry and benediction.
The chorus punches with a directness that metal sometimes forgets: “There’s got to be a better way, finding the strength I need to say that you’re always there for me. Only Love can set me free.” It’s equal parts lament and exorcism, but it’s also hooky as hell. That last line, delivered with grit and conviction, feels like the thesis statement not just of the song but of the band itself.
Musically, “A Better Way” lands somewhere between the melody-conscious heaviness of Killswitch Engage and the faith-fired urgency of Skillet. The guitars churn and soar in equal measure, while the solo in the bridge rips open a window of catharsis, leading back into the final chorus like light breaking through stained glass. The production is tight without sanding off the edges, giving the track the weight it deserves.
But here’s the thing: this isn’t just another faith-based anthem dressed up in metal clothing. It’s a testimony. Every line sounds like it’s been wrestled into existence, like the singer had to claw the words out of his chest just to survive the night. That’s what gives it power. That’s why, when he sings “Sent from Heaven, love I’ve never known is right before my eyes, I finally realize,” you believe him. Because you can hear the relief in the delivery, the gratitude baked into the scream.
“A Better Way” isn’t just a calling card for Ashes Awaken’s forthcoming LP “Rise”. It’s a gauntlet thrown down: to the genre, to the scene, to anyone still chained to their own despair. It says you can rage, you can grieve, you can feel the full weight of life’s darkness—and still rise with something greater on your side. That’s not just metal. That’s gospel.
–John Shires
