Rwake - Rest

[Eyehatehippies]

http://www.crawlingchaoscollective.com/music-reviews/rwake-rest/

Rwake - Rest

Reviewed By Nyx Nightshade



Rwake's latest album finds the Arkansas five piece venturing even further into progressive territories, but make no mistake: this is sludge for the 21st century.  It's forward thinking, emotionally resonant, and it lets up at all the right places, giving the listener room to breathe, and more importantly, room to feel the weight of the ocean which Rwake summon with each wave of desperate catharsis.



The riffs are labyrinthine, taking you into the dark depths of the mind and human soul.  The vocals are the perfect blend of hardcore aggression and rhythmic intensity, summoning the tribal aspects of Neurosis' collective, consciousness expanding metal assault.  The emphasis is equally on creating a bleak, oppressive atmosphere that forces you to stare headlong into the void, and decide for yourself whether or not it actually gives a shit about you.  Crisp production, glassy, sparkling clean sections, and creative usage of samples emphasize Rwake's unique spin on the post-sludge formula.  "The Culling" even borrows liberally from a passage from Metallica's "Call of Cthulu", furthering the spell to awake the Old Ones from their relentless slumber.



Is there a weakness to this album?  If there is, I really can't find it.  Granted, it's been a few years since Rwake last graced us with an album, and that breathing room is refreshing in a musical climate where we are constantly bombarded by one release after another, so I think my perspective was very fresh going in, as Voice Of Omens was a more distant memory, and I was plenty ready to get my Rwake on from the moment I pushed play.  There are not many surprises here, but that may be due to the premise that all the risks that Rwake engaged in paid off in spades.



Essentially, this release captures a moment which I wished to capture, and allowed me to examine it.  Whatever Rwake's intentions were with the release of  Rest, whether to further expand and refine their sound, or to expand their fanbase exponentially, perhaps it will be the time between their releases that pays off the most for them.  This sounded fresh from the first listen, but was immediate enough that the second listen grabbed me.  I love that in an album.  It's late in the year, but this could be an early contender for 2012, it's a great album.

[mutantcolors]

I was sold after that intro guitar solo.

[whoshotthefrog]

Great album. Actually listened to this on yesterday.

[RnRJanitor]

It's great! As bleak and oppressive as Rwake is, they never bring me down or put me in bad mood like some other bleak music does. For all the darkness, there's a tiny bit of light to balance it out. THE best sludge band out there, IMO. The Trees Are Energy.

[Dylan Thomas]

Nifty review. Heh.

[RacerX]

Nifty review. Heh.

Dinger up top, Dinger below.

Did yer rabbit die, Andy, or just yer "CrawlingChaosCollective" blog? Hopefully just the blog part...

[Dylan Thomas]

Nifty review. Heh.

Did yer rabbit die, Andy, or just yer "CrawlingChaosCollective" blog? Hopefully just the blog part...

I took that blog down over a year ago.  No point to it.

[Jesus Son]

i have a mercer print on my wall of a palace in thunder land show, i think ogre's on there too, and nicedayforup. i dug em. will listen to again.

[Dr. Skeeter]

I fucking love Ogre.

[themusketking]

It's so massive and heavy and beautiful and amazing.  Cannot begin to express my love for this band.

[RacerX]

It's so massive and heavy and beautiful and amazing.  Cannot begin to express my love for this band.

But you already began doing so.

[themusketking]

I lose. You are correct, sir.  haha