Swedish death metal trio Dead Awaken have recently unleashed a debut album via Abyss Records. Dead Awaken have been going since 2002 and after multiple demo's, have honed their sound and have released this record. Taking their influences from the savage death of Vomitory and Suffocation, as well as the dark imagery of Celtic Frost and Triptykon, they've got a lot to offer extreme metallers everywhere.
Tracklist:-
1. Carnivore
2. Kingdom of Damnation (Where Hope Turns Dripping Red)
3. Deutsches Afrika Corpse
4. Rocket Symphony
5. Mudhell
6. Manic Destructive
7. Envy The Dead
8. Venom of The Population
9. State of Corrosion
With most death metal, you know what you're getting.
Razor-sharp guitars, thrashing drums and low guttural vocals. Dead Awaken are
no different. Plying their trade in a genre that seems to be overflowing can be
difficult, but Dead Awaken stick to a formula that they know people want. Carnivore
opens proceedings in the best way possible, by absolutely ripping you apart and
not letting up. It's only towards the end of the track that Dead Awaken slow
things down. The drums groove like nobodies business during Kingdom of
Damnation. The vocals are almost gargled as they're delivered and the pinch
harmonics add the occasional bite of variation. Rhythmically it's perfect, with
the drums holding station while the other instrumentation keeps up.
Deutsches Afrika Corpse is where things start to change.
Dead Awaken step away from their opening blueprint slightly. Instead of just
focusing on out and out sonic destruction, they inject subtle melody and pace changes,
which give the listener more to hold onto. Don't get me wrong though, it's
still utterly savage! The low-end makes it's presence known as well, with the
bass rumbling underneath the guitar and adding extra weight. Rocket Symphony is
probably the closest you'll get to one, as the pace is slower and with the
longer song length, it seems more thought-out and experimental. There are some
great, simple riffs in it as well. The first hint of a guitar solo comes
towards the end of the song too, nestled within chuggy riffs. The music carries
on in the same vein during Mudhell.
The production is good, but due to a lot of the music being
in the same key, it can get a bit hypnotic at times. If you're after loads of
melody, you won't get it here. Where Hope Turns Dripping Red is all about face
melting, old-school death metal! If you can cope with massive amounts of
kick-drum them Manic Destructive is your song. It may only be just over two and
half minutes long but it rips, especially the squealing solo mid-way through. Dead
Awaken then flatten you with their final three songs, Envy The Dead, Venom of
The Population and State of Corrosion. They fly past in a whirlwind of double
bass and chainsaw-like guitars. The guttural vocals remain constant throughout
and threaten to send you to hell.
I've not heard a death metal record like this for a
long time. It's rare that band just settles in and goes for it for an entire
album, as they normally throw in some clever jazzy gubbins, but not Dead
Awaken. They just blast like the bands that influenced them did. If you're
after some straight-up and insane death metal, look on further than these guys.
Now as a treat, I have the pleasure of streaming "Kingdom of Damnation (Where Hope Turne Dripping Red)" on my bandcamp page. The album isn't currently streaming, so it is one of the only place you can here the song without buying the record. Check it out below:-
If you like it and want to hear more, you can pick up the album from Abyss Records at http://www.officialabyssrecords.com/.
Dead Awaken - https://www.facebook.com/Dead.Awaken
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