which was a commercial success, saving the band from the brink of bankruptcy. It reached number one in the UK and spawned five UK top 40 singles. As early as August 2001, the band were pondering what to do for their next album. When touring the US, they listened to a lot of rock radio. Frontman Tim Wheeler wanted the follow-up to be a heavy rock album with similarities to Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction (1987) and Nirvana's Nevermind (1991). In September 2002, Ash released their first compilation album Intergalactic Sonic 7″s, which they promoted with a three-month supporting US tour with Saves the Day. Wheeler wrote 14 new songs after attending a February 2003 peace march.
In March 2003, Wheeler told the NME he wanted to experiment with electronic music for the band's next album after using computers to score a short film. In May and June 2003, Ash embarked on their first headlining US tour in five years. Throughout the year, the band debuted several new songs. Recording sessions were held at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and at Chalice Studios in Hollywood; recordings were co-produced by Ash and Nick Raskulinecz. Wheeler said they recorded guitar, vocals, drums and bass in that order, which contrasted with their usual method of recording bass and drums first. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl visited the studio a few times during the recording but the band refrained from asking him to play on any recordings; Wheeler said; "There's a whole bunch of people we could have called, but we just want to get our band's sound on record".
Composition
Meltdown has been described as a hard rock album that has influences from metal "Orpheus" switches between indie pop and heavy rock, and the verses include Wheeler's 1970s metal-style guitar riffs. Wheeler said the lyrics were taken from the eponymous Greek myth and is about the death of his friend's mother. "Evil Eye" is a slower track on which Wheeler and Hatherley trade vocals that tells the story of a female suitor. It features a backwards message that says "She's giving me the Evil Eye. Suck Satan's cock." Wheeler said "Clones" is about the homogenization of mankind, and is "a rant about some person who's let you down, a person you thought was different and they turn out to be the same as everyone else". It re-tells the story of Romeo and Juliet. "Renegade Cavalcade" features staccato guitar parts during the verses. "Won't Be Saved" is similar to the band's earlier material and was nearly left off the final version of the album but the band's agent persuaded them to keep it. "Vampire Love", which has Placebo-like lyrics and a cello part played by Oli Kraus, closes the album. "Clones" was released as the album's lead single on 25 February as a download-only single. The song's music video, which was filmed in the basement of a house in London, was directed by Jeff T. Thomas and premiered on MTV2 on 26 February. The band's US label Kinetic Records was dissolved on 26 March; the band's manager was in talks in an attempt to release the album in that territory later in the year. The album's cover shows a tattoo-styled phoenix rising from flames. Its booklet features liner notes written by author JT LeRoy.
Ash promoted the UK release with a series of in-store signings. "Starcrossed" was released as a single on 19 July 2004; the CD version includes "Cool It down" and "Solace". The song's music video is a homage to Romeo + Juliet (1996) and was filmed in a church in Bucharest, Romania. "Renegade Cavalcade" was released as a single on 6 December 2004; the CD version includes "We Don't Care" and the 7" vinyl version includes "Shockwave". The song was initially planned for released in November but was postponed because in Ash's absence, their record label made a video for it, which the band disliked. A second video showcasing a performance of the band was made.
On 8 February 2005, Ash released an Extended Play (EP) called Commando, which includes "Meltdown", "Clones", "Evil Eye", and "Tinstle Town". The US version includes the bonus tracks "Shockwave", "Solace", and "Cool It Down", as well as a DVD of music videos. The title-track "Meltdown" was released to American radio stations on 24 May.
"Orpheus", "Clones", and "Starcrossed" were included on Ash's second compilation album The Best of Ash (2011). "Orpheus" and "Clones" were released on 7" vinyl as part of 94–'04 The 7" Singles Box Set (2019). "Orpheus", "Clones", and "Starcrossed" were also included on the band's third compilation album Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years of Ash (2020). Meltdown was reissued on CD through BMG in 2018.
Touring
thumb|left|alt=Ash performing onstage playing and singing into a microphone|Ash performing at [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Leeds Festival]]
In February and March 2004, Ash embarked on a tour of Europe and then a club tour of the UK. The following month, the band appeared at the Skate and Surf Festival, and headlined BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. On 2 May, the band headlined one of the stages at the Coachella Festival. In August, the band appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and in October and November, they again toured Europe.
At the start of 2005, Ash toured Japan, and in March and April that year, they embarked on a headlining US tour with support from the Bravery. While touring the US in June, the band were travelling to San Francisco when their bus caught fire; while they waited on the roadside for a new bus, the band received a call telling them the replacement bus had also caught fire. Ash drove themselves to a show in a van and borrowed equipment from The Bravery. In July, the band supported U2 for three shows in Europe.
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score =
| rev2 = Drowned in Sound
| rev2Score = 8/10
| rev3 = Entertainment.ie
| rev3Score =
| rev4 = The Guardian
| rev4Score =
| rev5 = IGN
| rev5Score = 8.2/10
| rev6 = Melodic
| rev6Score =
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7Score = 6.8/10
| rev8 = PopMatters
| rev8Score = 6/10
| rev9 = Stylus Magazine
| rev9Score = C+
| rev10 = Yahoo! Launch
| rev10Score =
Meltdown received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 78 based on 16 reviews. Pitchfork contributor Jason Crock noted while the album "rock[s] harder, and with more snarl" than the band's past works, they "still can't help but reveal their melodic sweet tooth".
Ash
- Tim Wheeler – guitar, vocals
- Rick McMurray – drums
- Mark Hamilton – bass guitar, design
- Charlotte Hatherley – guitar, backing vocals, piano
Additional musicians
- Oli Kraus – cello <small>(track 11)</small>
Production
- Nick Raskulinecz – producer, engineer
- Ash – co–producer
- Rich Costey – mixing
- Mike Terry – recording
- Claudius Mittendorfer – mix assistant
- Miles Wilson – second engineer
- Kevin Szymanski – second engineer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
Design
- Matt Sharp – studio photography
- Adrian Boot – band photography
- Rori Keating – Tribal illustrations
- Jim Fitzpatrick – 'Orpheus' illustration
- JT LeRoy – liner notes
- Craig Gentle – design
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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|+Weekly chart performance for Meltdown
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!Chart (2004)
!Peak<br />position
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Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable"
|+Year-end chart performance for Meltdown
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!Chart (2004)
!Position
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|UK Albums (OCC)
|align="center"|173
|}
Certifications
References
External links
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
- Meltdown at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- at Atomicduster