Every so often a band will release an album I like to call ‘The Turning Point’. This is when they make that complete release, that should see attention and applause and bolster the current or next wave of bands to keep the frothing masses appeased. Wake’s ‘Devouring Ruin’ fits this type of release.
My listening only draws to the vibe of absolution this album sounds. With other bands in mind where I have felt this way previously, more often has seen them excel and gain stature. Catering with extreme metal elements is a task that can easily be misconstrued by just hammering the drums to no rhythm, wailing the guitar(s) to a degree that’ll make your dog throw itself off a cliff and vocals that sound like a laryngitis sex party.
I was a fan of their previously release, ‘Misery Rites’, which sat happily as a great grind release of 2018. But ‘Devouring Rites’ goes four steps further and gives a complete effort of a band that have made their turning point into a metal act that deserves your time. A clear and very swift evolution (which I bet some internet bastards will claim they’ve betrayed their roots) is what we need in 2020. The forward push of bands working to get their ‘turning point’ is more the merrier when the genre still clings on a bit too much to history. The main reason of focusing on history is Wake have made an album that better make end-of year lists. It’s 45 minutes of a phenomenal listen. Standing out in this master stroke, are ‘This Abyssal Plain’, ‘Torchbearer’ and ‘Monuments to Impiety’ (that’s a top ten song this year).
‘Devouring Ruin’ will cling to you. Become guided by the haunting of its artistry, that aims to chill the bones, increase your heartbeat and leave a satisfying sweat that terror could be so beautiful.
If you were asleep before this release, once you’ve heard it, you will be….
Wake: Devouring Ruin – Out Now (Translation Loss Records)
