Never Awake are a progressive metal band from Portland, Oregon who have been slinging their complicated and highly technical musical styling’s in the north west of America since 2011. They’ve already got one EP out (self titled) and they have also shared the stage with the likes of Fates Warning, Michael Schenker and Uli Roth. Quite promising for a band about to release their debut album – “Underground”.
Opening the album is “Pull the Trigger” and the first thing which stands out is the very Testament-like vocals, unusual for a prog-metal band but quite effective over the tight riffs and fills behind it. There are some nice lead guitar parts as well as complicated riffs, showcasing what the band can do without just going off on a tangent for the sake of it. The title track of the album follows next and its Dream Theater-esque feel catches the ear instantly with its twisting and turning guitar and bass lines. The chorus rings out with an uplifting feel and some of the breaks and verses have a haunting feeling with the dissonant chords ringing out. “Wander” follows up and it opens with a clean ringing guitar over wind-like noises. The singing follows and it’s cleaner than the previous two tracks showing the vocalists ability to hold a melody. The distorted rhythm under the clean lead guitar parts with the melodic vocals really works well on this stripped down track. The distorted lead guitar parts are kept simple when they appear too, giving this simplistic song a lot more depth proving less can be more.
“History’s Pages” kicks back with a full metal sound and a huge riff which will have many technical guitar players eyes glazing over as they picture how to play it whilst simultaneously headbanging along. When the midpoint of the song hits the band really takes the spotlight with its tight rhythm section twisting and turning through the polyrhythmic feel whilst the guitar sings out with a tremendous display of technique and a skilful solo to go with it. “Cross the line” starts off more melodic than the last song but soon goes down into the murky low register riffs once again for the verse which has that Testament-like vocal sound to it again over the stop-start feel. The drums are consistently tight throughout all the changes and feel, and when the lead guitar section kicks in with blistering speed and melody, something which rarely seems to go hand in hand. It paves the way for an impressive instrumental section with synth and string breaks, sweeping guitar solos and tightly controlled rhythm and guitar riffs.
“Habits” starts off in a stripped back manner with just drums, acoustic guitar and vocals. The melancholy feel from the lyrics backed by faint but still audible synth sounds paves way for the distorted feel to return which keeps up the sorrowful feeling and emphasises it more. The acoustic guitar returns for the verse and the chorus brings back the high register distorted sounds and harmony vocals. The whole song’s sonic landscape draws you in and despite it being sorrowful, it made me smile listening to it, it’s a well thought out track much like the rest of the album. “The Will to Live” returns with the distorted metal edge once again, with tight precise rhythms fired off in short bursts. The vocals are cleaner sounding than some of the previous tracks, adding an almost sinister feel to the song. The guitar fills and some of the riffs have an almost mystical-eastern vibe and it gives a sense of anticipation during the breakdown. The solo section emphasises fluidity more than speed to begin with, focusing on the melody and not detracting from the song, keeping everything on the same page so to speak.
“Downtown” is the album’s closing track and also the longest, weighing in at just over ten minutes. Its faced paced feel, implied by the rhythm section kicks the song off with a distinct groove to it which will have you nodding along. The chorus riff is a sinister sounding descending one which paves way into another dark sounding break with low riffs and short high register chords and haunting vocals. It slips into a simplistic solo section at first before teasing back into a breakdown with synths descending, guitars ascending and a heavy slice of double kick. A huge, aggressive guitar riff follows into another solo section which keeps it simple at first before a twisting run of sweeps which cascade into a fast section which is played with the precision John Petrucci would be proud of. The outro to the song goes back to the heavy distorted riffs with furious drumming before it fades into an acoustic part which mimics the breakdown riff and some of the lead fills. The stripped back ending closes the album nicely, giving the listener the impression that this band has both style and substance.
“Underground” is a fantastic debut full length album and it shows a band with a clear idea of what they want to play and how they want to sound. I can’t find a flaw in this album at all, it’s the perfect mix and if this band achieves the success bands like Dream Theater, Symphony X and Tool have enjoyed, there is no reason this album shouldn’t be considered as a modern progressive metal masterpiece.
(10/10 Fraggle)
02/06/2014 at 8:26 am
I have never given a ten; must be a stonkingly good album.