Interview: Ashes To Omens' vocalist James Branton on upcoming EP, recent song, future plans, thankfulness and more

Written By Neil Shumate, OOTB Publications

Athens, Georgia modern heavy rockers Ashes To Omens has been doing their thing since 2017 and the band has seen a resurgence with the release of a hard hitting single with a powerful message about mental health: “The Tide.”

The song was engineered, mixed, and mastered by Michael Guevarez and the music video—which was shot in Comer, Ga and Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island—was directed by James Murray and produced and filmed by Halo Union Productions with editing by Grant Butler.

Lead vocalist James Branton recently spoke to OOTB to discuss the song, the upcoming EP, band growth, future plans and to express many thanks.

“The Tide” is incredible. The video, the message… all of it. With the song and video focusing on mental health, can you personally share something that impacted your mental health and how you have or how you are still coping?

Thanks for the kind words!

With this song and this video we really wanted to send the message that no matter what you're going through, you're never alone and that there's always someone there to help and support when needed.

Nuci's Space in Athens, Georgia has always been a great resource for us as musicians.

Several of the band members deal and have dealt with some degree of depression and anxiety. They've been able to provide counseling for us in the past as well as offering services to help in times of crisis.

We are doing significantly better now, but this video and song really showcases the head space that we've been in in the past.

With your sophomore EP releasing soon, and having now released four songs from it, which song is your favorite on the EP and why that track?

Oh wow, this EP is incredibly personal for me because each song is a journey.

They all really represent specific times in my personal life, but "My Favorite Sin" is probably my most favorite song on the EP, so far.

It is part of my life where I had met someone who dramatically transformed my life for the better and still does.

What will the EP be titled, how many songs will it have and when can it be purchased or listened to?

The EP will be titled Vessels & Vices with a total of 5 songs.

The final song will drop with the EP itself and will be available everywhere you consume music!

In what ways would you say the band has evolved since the release of “The Screws” in 2017 and the Black Boxesalbum in 2021?

We are a completely different band now.

Some of the members have changed, but we have spent the past eight years trying to figure out who we are and it's been a huge period of growth for us. Growth is painful and challenging, but it has its rewards.

For awhile we felt like we didn't have much to say and we had so many internal struggles, but now we feel like we finally know who we are.

What’s next for Ashes To Omens after this release going into the rest of the year?

As soon as this EP is wrapped, we already have some new announcements on the way.

We've entered the final turn on the EP and intend on going into the studio again starting at the end of the month to begin work on the next album.

Then, in a few months, we will be announcing some new tours we are going to be doing as well as a pretty huge announcement we've been sitting on for a few weeks.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Ashes to Omens would like to thank each and every one of our friends, family and fans that have stood beside us along this journey. We love each and every one of you.

BIG thanks to Shauna O'Donnell for being an incredible publicist and taking our random urgent messages.

Thanks to Kalyn Farmer and the team at Massive Media for taking a chance on us and Halo Union/Grant Butler Media for always supporting us and being the best production team in the world. We love you all.