Songs for a Widow (Projekt 2006). Review by Jack Liar Society: "Songs for a Widow, Unto Ashes's fifth full album, is the musical equivalent of watching a kettle of vultures circling tomorrow's battlefield. The album begins with a re-interpretation of Covenant's synthpop anthem "One World One Sky" as a medieval-esque death dirge and doesn't really lighten up from there. As always, Unto Ashes show a deep commitment to the music they make, employing a wide range of traditional and modern instrumentation and an equally diverse number of languages to deliver their lyrical mysteries. Stylistically, the band combines permutations of medieval musical strains, apocalyptic folk, neoclassical movements, and enough haunting ethereality to make a cathedral candle flutter without wind. Though every track presents its own ominous shade, Unto Ashes also find room to offer a bit of experimentation to challenge the listener; for example, the song "You Will Never Know" begins as a morbid ballad with heavenly vocals, but picks up a soaring electric guitar solo along the way and climaxes in a fusion of militaristic drumming, distorted power chords, and black metal-inspired vocals before returning to a more somber bout of atmospherics. Closing the album is another re-working of "One World One Sky," this time as a pagan celebration in the face of human mortality. Grim has never been so compelling." 5 stars (out of 5)

Grave Blessings (Projekt, 2005). Review by Ned Raggett All Music Guide: "The accomplished blend of dreamed-of past and modern times that Unto Ashes has made its calling card continues with Grave Blessings, another moving and at times surprising combination of musical strands. The core duo of Michael Laird and Natalia Lincoln again find a way to suggest they're not so much recording a new album as channeling something mystic and strange -- yet like role model Current 93, their feet are firmly planted in the present. This can be seen in their choice of cover versions this time out -- reworking the Cure's elegant "The Drowning Man" into a female-sung understated death-folk string-tinged medieval dance, but tackling Flipper's doom-punk classic "The Way of the World" as a gently sung flute-and-guitar ballad is absolutely inspired, equaling Stone Breath's marvelous reworking of Pailhead's "Man Will Surrender." That this can fit on an album that starts with a musical interpretation of a 13th century French poem ("Tous Esforciez") and wraps up in part with part of the Carmina Burana seems appropriate. Lincoln's main singing counterpart and partner is Mariko, whose solo moment of glory appears near the end with "Lesson," which calls to mind the cool beauty of This Ascension at their best. The resultant blend of their alto and soprano vocals as well as Laird's, often in counterpoint, is easily the heart of the album; one can imagine the three doing this as an a cappella effort if they so chose. At the album's simplest, such as "Emptiness," with accompaniment provided mostly by Laird's acoustic guitar, the power of the singing is extremely clear, but the blend on the fuller arrangements is no less enthralling. Along with other entrancing digressions as the instrumental "The Turning," a showcase for Lincoln's piano work, and the murky, dank collage of "Four More Years" -- presumably a non-tribute to a certain 2004 election winner -- Grave Blessings is another powerful release from this astonishing group." NOTA BENE: the following acknowledgement was omitted from the album credits: "Tous Esforcier" (arranged by Natalia Lincoln; inspired by the Ensemble Lucidarium recording / Avery Gosfield). We regret the omission.

I Cover You with Blood (Projekt, 2004). A review from BlissAquamarine.net: "Unto Ashes are a very impressive, sophisticated sounding band. There are two versions of the title track here - the song itself fits into the so-called 'apocalyptic folk' genre, but also introduces influences from traditional folk (with the hammered dulcimer) and classical music (with the string section). Serve Me is a dark, sleazy, sexual song with gothic synths and Eastern-style percussion. They do a suitably funereal version of Henry Purcell's Funeral March for Queen Mary, complete with doom-laden, orchestral-sounding synths and grandiose drumming. They also do an absolutely stunning version of the medieval song Palestinalied, by Walther von der Vogelweide, which includes authentic medieval instruments and twin female vocals. Finally, another of their own compositions, although it sounds as though it could have been written 100s of years ago - Exeunt Reges, an instrumental piece based largely around hurdy-gurdy. It starts off with a very mournful tone, then introduces military style drumming and an overall air of grandeur. Amazing stuff, I'm going to have to track down some previous material by this band."

Empty Into White (Projekt, 2003). Review by Michael Toland of High Bias: "I love a band that defies easy description. New York's Unto Ashes shares traits with the so-called ethereal subgenre of Gothic rock, with its swooping femme vox and lush acoustic/synthetic textures, and adopts some elements of the main Goth genre as well, with contrasting baritone male vocals and song titles like "I Cover You With Blood," "Flayed By Frost" and "Persephone, Queen of the Underworld." But the bandmembers have also immersed themselves deeply in classical study, pagan religion (which here seems to be a genuine faith, not an affectation) and folk music of many stripes, especially, but not limited to, Medieval. Add to all this a firm command of melody and song structure—tunes come from the pens of group members or from sources like Texas folklore ("Go Tell Aunt Rhodie"), pagan poets ("Witches' Rune") or Tori Amos ("Beauty Queen")—and you have the libretto for a dark, utterly bewitching spell. Flowers blossom, die, and grow again. Fairies dance themselves into dervishes, then collapse in heaps of exhaustion and cardiac arrest. A phoenix rises from the ashes of its own self-immolation only to be shot down by human hunters. Coffins open and disgorge perfumed corpses in romantic finery. Angels and devils share songs, beds, spirits and Isis knows what else while the gods watch in an attempt to disrupt their own ennui. Empty Into White ends with a stunning cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," which pretty much ditches the original melody for one far more mournful and ethereal. It's a beautiful end to a beautiful journey, from a band that crafts its own distinctive magic."

Saturn Return (Projekt, 2001). Review by RIK of fluxeuropa.com: The talented New York ensemble, Unto Ashes, produced a brilliant first album, Moon Oppose Moon, but the latest rises to a new degree of sophistication. A variety of literary sources are raided for lyrics including the words of the beguiling opening track, 'Morte o Merce', which is a mediaeval sonnet by Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374). A renaissance sonnet, 'Sonnet 87 ("When As Man's Life")' by Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke (1554-1628) is given a more modern and less compelling treatment. Rather more compelling is the full-on gothic 'Ein Fluch' ('curse') featuring operatic female vocals (Ataraxia-style), organ music and percussion, and 'Serve Me' with its nightmarish keyboard washes. 'They Killed Three Little Maids' has a mediaeval quality with a simple and repetitive melody reminiscent of the 'Lyke Wake Dirge'. Other highpoints include the Coil cover, 'Ostia (The Death of Pasolini)', a brave and adventurous undertaking which captures the essence of the original whilst being a masterpiece in its own right, the short '2nd Lunar Runic Calendar' which features smotheringly dark cello music from guest musician Catherine Bent, and the troubadour-style 'A Sa Maitresse' which was inspired by Current 93's 'Let Us Go To The Rose'. 'A Hymn To Pan' (I'm always in favour of them) is a magickal incantation lyrically attributed to Aleister Crowley. The CD cover reproduces an original oil painting by the talented Madeline von Foerster."

Moon Oppose Moon (Projekt, 1999). Review by Mark Burbey of Alternative Press: Walking the scorched landscapes of the heart proves to be more uplifting than it sounds. Instead of indulging the darkness of goth, Unto Ashes find the art and use the form to illuminate the poignancy of life's tragic truths. For those who doubt the longevity of goth, Moon Oppose Moon proves that the genre is as timeless as its sources of inspiration. The neo-folk elements provide a melancholy tenderness, while the medieval, classical and cinematic elements create an emotional undertow, melding the ancient and the modern results in a hybrid netherworld of beauty and loss, like a grand work of poetry set to music written for a film. Michael Laird (collaborating at times with Natalia Lincoln and Paul Ash) writes songs that are equally subtle and complex. "Der Letzte Ritter," with German lyrics, is rich and compelling, reminiscent of Jurgen Kniepers powerful score for Rivers Edge. Simple tracks like "This Duration of Emptiness," however, best portray the scorched landscapes of the human heart. In any other context, deeply affecting lines like "Our love was like a child that died" would seem melodramatic, macabre, or both. In goth, however, that's pretty much the point, and the tenor of the music provides affecting support. Moon Oppose Moon is a beautifully tempered and darkly shaded album that deserves to be brought out into the light."

Nota Bene: The complete discography of Unto Ashes recordings is available through Projekt Records.