Review: Wake – Thought form Descent

Style: Extreme Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Rivers of Nihil
Review by: Dylan
Country: Canada
Release date: 22 July, 2022

Wake is a returning band in our little blog. Their previous output released in 2020, Devouring Ruin, found its way to my ears during that god-awful pandemic that we are hopefully further away from than ever. Its abrasive yet melodically interesting nature, coupled with its great sense of self, is what made it one of the highlights from that year. And whilst I may have somewhat forgotten about it until their new album was coming up, going back to it did nothing but confirm the many praises I sung about that release 2 years ago. It was absolutely expected for their next album to not drift too far away from what made Devouring Rain a relative hit within the underground community. If it ain’t broke why fix it right? And this is something the band understood as well.

Once committed to said formula however, you are risking to sort of… dilute the originality of what once brought you critical acclaim. This is the reason why even prog giants go at times through major stylistic shifts once they exhaust all possible options in a particular “era”. Thought from Descent remains an excellent continuation of the Wake formula but does leave a question mark for their future thanks to how utterly similar it is to their previous output, without being exceptionally better (or worse) at anything. 

If I had to describe what it sounds like, I’d repeat what I said on Devouring Ruin: a fantastic mix up of just about every genre in extreme metal, with a spoonful of intricate rhythms/melodies to stand a cut above the rest. If we’re talking similar releases, think if Where Owls Know my Name had excellent production and no sax. “Swallow the Light” is a particular highlight of how this works; the song’s main drive is relentless, with a blast-beat driven riff that feels like it won’t ever let up… yet within all of this brutality they find a way to throw small yet effective guitar arpeggios that lead to an extra layer of melody that will stick with you as that highlight moment.

An aspect of this album that I found detrimental was its insistence on harsh vocals for every single moment. Quiet/atmospheric sections are a bit more frequent in this release, and I feel like instead of letting them breathe on its own or throw in some smooth cleans some heavily muted/distorted harshes are in place which just feel off with regards to the vibe those sections are going for. But that is a tiny complaint in a sea of excellence, since really, I can’t find anything else to call out as bad. Excellently produced extreme metal, with tight songwriting and tasty melodies is something that millions of bands can’t even dream of…

And yet I can’t really tell you to listen to this above Devouring Ruin or the other way around. They really are that interchangeable, I lean towards the predecessor because it is how I discovered them but one of either album is enough to crave my Wake hunger equally. This is just more songs in that ballpark, no more no less. I’m not about to diss this album for being as good as an AOTY contender but will end the review on this thought: Should a 3rd album release within this formula, that feels and sounds exactly the same as Devouring and Thought, it’d further dilue a once original and unique sound. Excellent addition to extreme metal collectors, but I couldn’t blame you if you just stuck to listening to one of the two albums in discussion.

Recommended tracks: Swallow the Light, Venerate (The Undoing of All)
You may also like: Hath, Replicant, Infernal Coil, Haunter
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | metal-archives

Label: Metal Blade – Website

Wake is:
– Kyle Ball (vocals)
– Arjun Gills (guitars)
– Ryan Kennedy (bass)
– Josh Brueckert (drums)
– Rob LaChance (guitars)