Meet Brien Allen and Ruben Zamora, better known as Bridges Ablaze. Emerging out of Austin, Texas, the duo have carved out a dynamic sound that embraces hard rock, alternative metal and beyond. Recent singles, ‘Forever Fallen’ and ‘Never Too Late’ have seen Allen and Zamora showcase their unique and anthemic sound. By blending technical execution with sonically cinematic presentation, Bridges Ablaze have quickly set a high standard for a promising future.
Their brand of modern metal is forward-thinking, combining the past with the present. So to learn more about how Bridges Ablaze lean on the past, we asked Brien and Ruben to pick out five influential metal albums.
Avenged Sevenfold – City Of Evil
‘City Of Evil’ was revolutionary for us. There has never been guitar work quite like what’s on this record before or since its release. The uniqueness of specific tracks, such as ‘Beast And The Harlot’, ‘Seize The Day’, and ‘Sidewinder’ display techniques that inspired us both greatly at a young age.
Bullet For My Valentine – The Poison
‘The Poison’ is a record that has a cohesive sound and paints a very emotional, dark picture. The entire sound captured on this album is something we deeply resonate with, from lyrics to soundscape to guitar work. This album has a very unique emotional appeal that we haven’t seen anywhere else, and is also a heavy vocal influence for us.
Megadeth – Rust In Peace
‘Rust In Peace’ has incredibly unique, virtuosic guitar work. The musical compositions specifically speak to us. Very few metal albums have song structures like this. At a young age, we were very influenced by this album’s neoclassical guitars. The riffs also are quite unique and complex, and inspire us to this to day to push our limits.
Escape The Fate – Dying Is Your Latest Fashion
‘Dying Is Your Latest Fashion’ is a huge influence on us both, and for many reasons: guitar work, lyrics, soundscape, and even vocal delivery. This album is incredibly unique and delivers a specific sound that we both hold dear. ‘Situations’, ‘The Guillotine’, ‘There’s No Sympathy For The Dead’, and ‘My Apocalypse’ all have very special moments that speak to us either in the form of guitars or vocals. The album artwork is also notable and has a degree of influence on our aesthetic.
Metallica – Ride The Lightning
‘Ride The Lightning’ is a fantastic record from start to finish. Several of the songs are classics that we will listen to, to this day. This album in particular has very notable guitar work (riffs and solos), as well as song structure. ‘Fade To Black’, ‘To Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Creeping Death’, ‘Escape’, and ‘Trapped Under Ice’ definitely are heavy influences on our guitar playing.
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