Meltdown
Meltdown is the fourth studio album from Northern Ireland's Ash, released on 17 May 2004 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. It followed the success of Free All Angels in 2001. The band tried out new songs on the road through 2003, then headed to Los Angeles that October to record with Nick Raskulinecz, co-producing alongside him at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and Chalice Studios in Hollywood.
The result is a hard rock record, and it shows. Critics heard shades of The Smashing Pumpkins, and in the guitar work something of Black Sabbath and Metallica. "Clones" led a run of five singles, including "Orpheus" and "Starcrossed", and most of them reached the UK and Irish top 40. The album peaked at number five in the UK and went gold there. It's a heavier turn for a band better known for bright pop-punk hooks, and the playing earned praise.
Meltdown: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 42:27Tracklist
- 1MeltdownCharlotte Hatherley and Tim Wheeler3:25
- 2OrpheusTim Wheeler4:16
- 3Evil EyeTim Wheeler3:26
- 4ClonesTim Wheeler4:01
- 5StarcrossedTim Wheeler4:52
- 6Out of the BlueMark Hamilton and Tim Wheeler3:25
- 7Renegade CavalcadeTim Wheeler3:28
- 8DetonatorTim Wheeler3:40
- 9On a WaveTim Wheeler4:29
- 10Won’t Be SavedTim Wheeler3:42
- 11Vampire LoveTim Wheeler3:44
- Produced by
- Ash, Ash, Nick Raskulinecz
- Recorded at
- Sound City, Van Nuys, California, Chalice, Hollywood, California
- Recorded
- October 2003–January 2004
- Mixed by
- Rich Costey
- Mixed at
- Cello Studios
- Engineered by
- Nick Raskulinecz, Mike Terry
- Labels
- Infectious Records, Infectious, Home Grown
- Length
- 42:27
Line-up
- Mark Hamilton · bass guitar
- Charlotte Hatherley · guitar, piano, background vocals
- Rick McMurray · drums (drum set)
- Tim Wheeler · guitar, lead vocals
- Oliver Kraus · cello · guest
Singles
- “Clones” · 25 February 2004
- “Orpheus” · 3 May 2004
- “Starcrossed” · 19 July 2004
- “Renegade Cavalcade” · 6 December 2004
- “Meltdown” · 24 May 2005
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2004 | 5 |
| Scottish Albums · 2004 | 5 |
| Ireland 2 · 2004 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2004 | 25 |
| German Albums · 2004 | 65 |
| Austrian Albums · 2004 | 78 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2004 | 87 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 2005 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 17 May
Every year →![[Rammstein] by Rammstein, album cover](/img/e4d39d2e-9420-4007-881a-9b5bc23944e0/300)
More from Ash
Full discography →
The best of 2004
All of 2004 →
More on Infectious Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 May 2004 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 May 2004 | |
| Wikidata | 17 May 2004 | |
| UK / Europe release | 17 May 2004 | earliest UK or European date |
9 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | GB | Infectious Records | 5050467319714 | other |
| 2004 | XE | Infectious Records | 5050467324657 | deluxe |
| 2004 | JP | Sony Records International | 4547366015256 | other |
| 17 May 2004 | AF | Echo | 643443282963 | original |
| 17 May 2004 | AU | Infectious Records | 9325583024788 | original |
| 17 May 2004 | XE | Infectious Records | 5050467319721 | original |
| 17 May 2004 | XW | Echo | 4050538909036 | original |
| 17 May 2004 | GB | Infectious Records | 5050467324626 | original |
| 8 March 2005 | US | Record Collection | 093624929321 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 4000×4000 | native: native 4000x4000, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |