Ashenspire is a boundary-pushing avant-garde metal band based in Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in the mid-2010s by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Alasdair Dunn, the band is known for its politically charged themes and experimental approach that merges black metal with jazz, classical, and theatrical elements. Their debut album, Speak Not of the Laudanum Quandary (2017), introduced audiences to their unique aesthetic—marked by abrasive guitars, dissonant strings, and impassioned spoken-word vocals. However, it was their 2022 sophomore release, Hostile Architecture, that garnered widespread critical acclaim, establishing Ashenspire as a bold voice in extreme music. The album offered a scathing critique of capitalism, gentrification, and social inequality, delivered through an explosive blend of metal and art music.

Ashenspire’s sound is dense and expressive, incorporating saxophone, violin, and polyrhythmic percussion to create an atmosphere that is both chaotic and meticulously composed. The band draws comparisons to contemporaries like Dødheimsgard and Altar of Plagues, while also evoking the political urgency of acts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their live performances are intense and cathartic, blending theatrical presentation with raw emotional energy. Ashenspire represents a vital strand of modern metal that challenges both musical and societal conventions, using dissonance and drama as tools of resistance and reflection.