http://www.crawlingchaoscollective.com/ ... wake-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.