Sound Awake is without a doubt my pick for Album of the Year in 2009. I’ve held off posting this to make sure I’d really let the album sink in. Well, over 100 album plays and 2 live concerts later, I think I’ve left it long enough.
If you like your music interesting, heavy, melodic, catchy, and original, then you’ll love Sound Awake. Since Themata (written and recorded completely by 2 of the current band members), they have filled out their complete lineup, and wrote this album as a complete band. The influences really show immediately, from the incredibly punchy bass lines on the opening track “Simple Boy”, or one of my favorite tracks “Illumine”, to the ridiculously intricate drumming on The Caudal Lure, and Umbra.
Drew and Hoss have been clearly trying to push their songwriting away from power chords, and are using the “Karnivool Tuning” of their guitars to great effect. In Simple Boy, they barely go lower than their middle B string, and don’t need to with the massive sound of the bass filling the heaviness void.
The first single “Set fire to the Hive” is a frantic track with effect-soaked vocals, and the now infamous “can of bees” guitars. An odd choice for a first single, but they seem to be playing things much safer with the second single “All I know”, which is probably one of the catchiest tunes they’ve ever written. It’s chorus is made for singing along to, if only anyone could actually hit the notes that Ian Kenny can sing.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of progressive music, specifically Tool (though they do sound very different, they seem to bridge to Tool fans very easily).
And check out a show if you can! They are amazing live.
