Rwake - Hell Is A Door To The Sun
2002 - Retribute Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Retribute Records website.
As the year draws to a close, we are surely soon to be reminded of the fact that the Christmas period is the time of the year when suicide rates face their biggest annual increase. In reflection of this fact, might I suggest to Retribute Records that they withhold the release of Rwake's latest offering until March? After all, should anyone find this in their Christmas stocking, I imagine that the oppressively downbeat yet cerebral bludgeonings on offer may well bring on that bout of the Yuletide blues somewhat earlier than usual.
Rwake have been going since late 1996, and their inventive blending of stoner/sludge rock low-end bludgeonings with noisecore structural intricacies and experimental metal's devil-may-care attitude has been catching the more open-minded metalhead's ear for almost that long. 'Hell Is A Door To The Sun' is a 50-minute trip through the collective mind of a group of bong-addled, misanthropic metalheads with a cross to bear and an axe to thrash the soundtrack out on.
Trying to describe the music within is somewhat akin to describing the trajectory of a balloon whizzing crazily about the room as it deflates - you're never entirely certain whether Rwake are about to cave in your skull with a sledgehammer riff, dazzle you with an impressive yet fitting solo, or confound you with an electronic embellishment or sample. But for all this unpredictability, there's always an underlying melody or memorable tune which saves the band from becoming unlistenably complex.
The only complaints I really have with this album are the occasional 'shouted' vocals, which sound vaguely cringeworthy and ill-fitting with the rest of the music, and the production which tends to leave the samples and moog instrumentation lost behind the riffs. Also, there is the fact that perhaps just under an hour of music this bleak and oppressive may be a little too much for a lot of people to handle in one sitting. But, if you think you can handle it, and are willing to try something a little bit more experimentative, Rwake may well be the band for you. Merry Christmas, one and all...
7.5/10
2002 - Retribute Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Retribute Records website.
As the year draws to a close, we are surely soon to be reminded of the fact that the Christmas period is the time of the year when suicide rates face their biggest annual increase. In reflection of this fact, might I suggest to Retribute Records that they withhold the release of Rwake's latest offering until March? After all, should anyone find this in their Christmas stocking, I imagine that the oppressively downbeat yet cerebral bludgeonings on offer may well bring on that bout of the Yuletide blues somewhat earlier than usual.
Rwake have been going since late 1996, and their inventive blending of stoner/sludge rock low-end bludgeonings with noisecore structural intricacies and experimental metal's devil-may-care attitude has been catching the more open-minded metalhead's ear for almost that long. 'Hell Is A Door To The Sun' is a 50-minute trip through the collective mind of a group of bong-addled, misanthropic metalheads with a cross to bear and an axe to thrash the soundtrack out on.
Trying to describe the music within is somewhat akin to describing the trajectory of a balloon whizzing crazily about the room as it deflates - you're never entirely certain whether Rwake are about to cave in your skull with a sledgehammer riff, dazzle you with an impressive yet fitting solo, or confound you with an electronic embellishment or sample. But for all this unpredictability, there's always an underlying melody or memorable tune which saves the band from becoming unlistenably complex.
The only complaints I really have with this album are the occasional 'shouted' vocals, which sound vaguely cringeworthy and ill-fitting with the rest of the music, and the production which tends to leave the samples and moog instrumentation lost behind the riffs. Also, there is the fact that perhaps just under an hour of music this bleak and oppressive may be a little too much for a lot of people to handle in one sitting. But, if you think you can handle it, and are willing to try something a little bit more experimentative, Rwake may well be the band for you. Merry Christmas, one and all...
7.5/10
