Never Awake: Underground

Now where did this come from? Well, the easy answer is Portland, Oregon and the minds and muscles of singer Taylor Dye, guitarist/keyboardist Matt Galligan, drummer Alex McDonald and bassist Jesse Weiss; collectively known as Never Awake. Now if these guys are permanently asleep, then I want dreams like theirs, for this full length debut from Never Awake, Underground, is the most scintillating Progressive Metal introduction I've heard in a long, long time.

Heavier than many of their genre-mates, what this four-piece have unearthed with Underground is a mighty smack of burning guitars and hammering drums, which are often turned on their heads by restrained passages of keys and building atmospheres. In itself that doesn't sound exactly game changing, but for a band with only a few live dates and an EP to their name, for the results to be so accomplished is amazing. Galligan is mighty, whether he's steamrollering riffs over everything in sight, plucking out beautiful acoustic refrains, adding layers of synthesized washes, or pinpoint accurate keyboard attacks, he never puts a foot wrong. However add in the versatile vocals of Dye and the mix is immediately raised far beyond the norm, the latter's ability to add grit and steel to his melodic and fragile approach allowing Underground to be a remarkably varied, yet focused achievement.

"Habits" shows off the more refined side of Never Awake, a mid-paced number which comments on the "follow the sheep" mentality of modern life offering keen counterpoint to the more ebullient "The Will To Live", where McDonald and Weiss reveal themselves (as they do across the whole album) as a superbly tight and dextrous rhythm section. As you might expect from a band operating in Prog Metal territory, Symphony X, or Vanden Plas are at times brought to mind and yet, so are the introspective tones of Riverside, the melancholy of less aggressive Opeth, or the Oriental Metal swirl of Myrath. "Wander" sits astride full force Metal outburst, Progressive masterpiece and seductive Melodic Rock, in a way only Queensryche and possibly Crimson Glory are really noted for, while "Pull The Trigger" introduces the album at its most uncompromising, an Avenged Sevenfold riff put through a Prog wringer to stunning effect. The title track also hits with intensity, being possibly the album's most obviously technical outing while still somehow offering up a chorus so catchy you'll be pleasantly haunted by it for weeks. "Downtown" on the other hand closes the album on its toes via an off kilter riff and pummelling beat which combines to draw you in, before hammering you over the head and spitting you back out.

There may be a plethora of Progressive Metal talents out there right now. However I have no hesitation in demanding that if you take a chance on one new band from this genre during 2014, then it has to be Never Awake, they'll leave you more alert and invigorated than the best night's sleep you've ever had.

Track Listing
1. Pull The Trigger
2. Underground
3. Wander
4. History's Pages
5. Cross The Line
6. Habits
7. The Will To Live
8. Downtown

Added: October 3rd 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Never Awake on BandCamp
Hits: 1620
Language: english

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