A((WAKE))

I had no previous knowledge of A((WAKE)) before approaching their 2011 band-titled debut album and the initial experience was a pleasant one but it would eventually take me quite some time to actually sink my teeth into this release. There are numerous reasons for this slow but steady acknowledgment of this album's true potential, among which is it's hefty length and ambitious content, but the effort does indeed pay off in the long run.

My initial mention of the Post Metal term might be considered to be slightly misleading since A((WAKE)) sometimes prefers to boarder their style on a mix between heavy (i.e. extreme) and atmospheric metal learnings but that's what I personally consider to be the true ideology of the Post Metal sub-genre! Anyone expecting merely a smooth/atmospheric music experience might as well seek out any of the numerous releases under the Post Rock sub-genre. This album is a bumpy ride, but the bumps are intentional and definitely enhance the overall experience by keeping the listener on the edge of the seat. This is put to an even greater effect by omitting breaks between the compositions, thus letting the individual tracks interweave with one another.

The most surprising thing about this debut album is the band's ability to deliver a solid Post Metal experience that boarders on the level that was experienced 15 years earlier on Tool's Ænima. That 1996 release pretty much created a firm assumption in the back of my mind that there was nothing more left to explore in this sub-genre. Experience is the key to realization of ones past mistakes and I've certainly learned another valuable lesson by listening to A((WAKE))!

***** star songs: Iron Mold (6:10) Storm Cloud (2:53) Program (3:08) Don't Shut Your Eyes (7:20)

**** star songs: Landslide (4:34) Machine Gods (9:53) Endless (3:07) Therapy (5:45) The Sea Is Burning (4:28) Towards My Soul (2:13) Years Go By (3:39) Castles Or Rust (14:28)

*** star songs: First Breath (1:02)

The music on the album is fully instrumental technical/progressive metal with post metal leanings. There are 5 tracks on the album but the opening track is more of an intro. The music is generally pretty complex with the clean guitar post metal parts adding some variation to the otherwise technical and heavy proceedings. The three musicians that make up A((WAKE)) are very skilled and their considerable skills are one of the greatest assets on this album.

The sound production is of high quality. Very heavy with lots of bottom but still clean. A very suiting sound for the music.

While I do enjoy "Northern Lights" to some extent due to the high technical level of the musicianship and the occasional atmospheric parts, which are quite enjoyable too, I ultimately think the music screams for a vocalist. The music is not varied enough to be instrumental IMO and I would strongly suggest that the band find themselves a lead vocalist before recording their next album. It´s of course an aquired taste but that´s my advice. A 3 star (60%) rating is still warranted though and the album does feature lots of promise and intriguing ideas, so it´s probably one of those cases where you shouldn´t just trust the reviewer, but give it a listen yourself.