Rwake “Voices of Omens” CD

"Voices of Omens", the latest from the mighty Rwake, is their debut outing under the Relapse Records umbrella, continuing to tread their downtrodden path of inventively sludgy, melancholic metal while harnessing a tighter sense of overall focus and presentation. This is easily their best-sounding work to date, as the warmth and pristine clarity and tone of the recording really help to highlight some of the absolutely chilling acoustic passages—often accented with superbly handled ambient electronics and samples—not to mention the totally badass drumming, which never stagnates and seems to rely solely on the feel of the surrounding elements, which I'm always a huge, huge fan of. As with the band's past efforts, the vocals swap off between all forms of sick, grating midrange snarls and high-end sneers; while the core riffs range from twisting, winding dual guitar runs to dense, churning rhythms—all of which is constantly weaving in and out of dissonantly melodic undercurrents. Damn near every track tops seven minutes (making for an hour-long trek when all is said and done), and there are obviously still a wealth of powerful dynamic shifts within each composition. It's really no great departure from the stance that Rwake has come to be known for, it's just a naturally progressive venture that's still among the most creative pieces of work you're gonna encounter these days from the various realms of metal associated with terms like "sludge", "doom", etc. There are some pretty awesome paintings throughout the layout as well, with a "booklet within a booklet" type of treatment that folds out to reveal the lyrics—often coming across as somewhat more direct and personally-based this time out:

And in the great finality of it all there should always be something to learn but sometimes everyone gives up on you or you drive them all away and you have nothing but your own life to take but will you do it right or screw it up suck up one last breath and say goodbye to the world as you turn your back on it...

Great, great shit, as always. This one's not officially out until next week, but you can order it now, so why wait? Make the damn grab:

Relapse Records
The End Records