DEAD AWAKEN (Sweden) “Where Hope Turns Dripping Red” CD review by www.themidlandsrocks.com

DEAD AWAKEN (Sweden) “Where Hope Turns Dripping Red” CD review by www.themidlandsrocks.com

By Jason Guest

The debut full length from Sweden’s Dead Awaken has been a long time coming. Together since 2002, they released a demo every year up until 2008 (but nothing on 2007) and then stopped. Why so long to release their debut? With line-up changes aplenty, mainstay Jörgen Kristensen has no doubt been working hard to find a band he’s content with, or at least a drummer, because the only other musician on this release is Mats Blyckert who’s been with the band since 2007. But despite whatever challenges Kristensen has faced in all that time, Where Hope Turns Dripping Red is worth the wait.

With four of the nine tracks taken from earlier demos – ‘Mudhell’ from 2006 demo Scar Graced Earth, and ‘Deutsches Afrika Corpse’, ‘Venom of the Population’ and ‘State of Corrosion’ from 2008 demo The Noble Art of Agitation – Kristensen made a wise decision to include the ones that he did. In comparison with the newer material, it fits well and you can hear how the band has developed their sound. Where ‘Mudhell’ is a blast of savage riffs peppered with the occasional pinch harmonic, deathly groove, and multi-layered discordance, ‘Deutsches Afrika Corpse’ adds a hint of technical death metal to the head-down grunt, ‘Venom of the Population’ lets the bass do most of the work, and ‘State of Corrosion’ closes the album with Kristensen and Blyckert focusing their energies into tight grooves and mosh pit-inducing riffs. With their sound crystallised, the rest of the tracks show how the band have developed, their technical vehemence, barbed savagery, and their unity tightly focussed into an unremitting and impressive death metal debut. This may not be innovative but it’s a relentless and violent piece of work laced with hostility that deserves to get the band the attention that being signed should allow them. It’s been a long time coming.

Rating: 7/10

Review link: www.themidlandsrocks.com/death-metal-roundup-karnak-cauterization-dead-awaken-wound-dehuman-reign/

Dead Awaken links:

Official Website: www.dead-awaken.com

Myspace: www.myspace.com/deadawaken

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-Awaken/341873415857546

Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/deadawaken

Last fm: www.last.fm/music/Dead+Awaken

Abyss Records links:

Label & Online Music Store: www.officialabyssrecords.com

Myspace: www.myspace.com/abyssrecordsofficial

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfficialAbyssRecords

Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/label/abyssrecords

Last fm: www.last.fm/label/AbyssRecords

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/MinionfortheAbyss

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbyssRecords

To purchase DEAD AWAKEN “Where Hope Turns Dripping Red” CD go to: www.officialabyssrecords.com/product_info.php?products_id=12836