The day I first played Blue Screen from The Waking, I immediately felt like I flew back in time and landed face first in the middle of a pit. Boots, missing my head by mere inches, stomp in time. A sea of humanity writhing past my mortal form. My mind fighting off the first pangs of fear, for I knew that with inaction came termination. My only savior being the rush of adrenalin I needed to push myself to my feet and blend with the rolling ocean of flailing limbs.
Happy days are here again!
Equal parts hardcore to metal, The Waking make the call to pretty much every right wing idealist to pack up their wagons and set off on an interplanetary migration. Through a wall of metal muscle, vocalist Mike Wooly, in fine hardcore fashion, fires off a diatribe on the wrongs of the world. The title track, “Sorry”, and “Diseased and Denied” are good examples of the socio/political lyrics that ought to have you stop and think a moment or two before you hop back in the mix and deliver a forearm shiver to your dance partner. As much as I’d like to pour some gravel down his throat to roughen things up, Wooly’s voice works well to convey the passion of his convictions.
“My Last Call” and “Bleeding Principle” have great energy and just the right dose of dynamics to make the intensity last over multiple listens. Great hook at the chorus of “Bleeding Principle” . . . you should find yourself unconsciously singing it in the middle of the day. In fact, there are a few times throughout Blue Screen that the band utilize vocal harmonies, which always makes for a good sing along in the work place. At times, they’re off key, but in a hardcore manner of speaking, that off key howling works. Their street cred would be destroyed if they sounded too pretty!
“Souls at Zero” is a bit reminiscient of A Perfect Circle with some damn dark lyrics. Fantasy or all-too-reality, it doesn’t really matter. The lyrical imagery is vivid and compelling, and ultimately had chills running up my spine. I’m not gonna’ give away the theme of this one . . . you need to hear for yourself.
Along with “Bleeding Principle”, “Blue Screen” is one of the highlights from the disc. It’s a cry out for everybody to wake the fuck up and stop taking the information that’s being fed to us as the be all, end all answer to everything. We, as an intelligent species, need to make informed decisions that are our own rather than following the popular view, or that which is being forced on us. Remember: the media is going to tell you to do something based on the beliefs of those who are stuffing the media owners pockets full of cash. Think responsibly!
This public service announcement was brought to you by the folks in The Waking.
And, as all of the social commentary is going on, the rest of the band are relentlessly kicking out the jams. A little double bass drum action here and there, classic metal riffdom, and some dynamic breaks give credence to their metal background, but it’s all tempered with that streetwise hardcore simplicity and sensibility. At moments, The Waking are simply pummeling you with a wall of sound, and then suddenly corral the noise into a tight space of musicality. “The Forgotten” is a good example of the juxtaposed moods.
Interestingly enough, besides Ryan McGuire, one of the executive producers on Blue Screen is Louis Svitek, who was at one time the guitarist for Mind Funk, Ministry, and M.O.D. with Billy Milano (S.O.D.) Not all at the same moment . . . only Warren Haynes can be in sixty bands at any given time and that’s only because he’s from another planet all together. Blue Screen was released on Wuli Records and is readily available by following those nifty little links at the end of the review . . . so, surf away, Waveriders. And if you find anything cool . . . don’t bogart all the goods! - Pope JTE
Happy days are here again!
Equal parts hardcore to metal, The Waking make the call to pretty much every right wing idealist to pack up their wagons and set off on an interplanetary migration. Through a wall of metal muscle, vocalist Mike Wooly, in fine hardcore fashion, fires off a diatribe on the wrongs of the world. The title track, “Sorry”, and “Diseased and Denied” are good examples of the socio/political lyrics that ought to have you stop and think a moment or two before you hop back in the mix and deliver a forearm shiver to your dance partner. As much as I’d like to pour some gravel down his throat to roughen things up, Wooly’s voice works well to convey the passion of his convictions.
“My Last Call” and “Bleeding Principle” have great energy and just the right dose of dynamics to make the intensity last over multiple listens. Great hook at the chorus of “Bleeding Principle” . . . you should find yourself unconsciously singing it in the middle of the day. In fact, there are a few times throughout Blue Screen that the band utilize vocal harmonies, which always makes for a good sing along in the work place. At times, they’re off key, but in a hardcore manner of speaking, that off key howling works. Their street cred would be destroyed if they sounded too pretty!
“Souls at Zero” is a bit reminiscient of A Perfect Circle with some damn dark lyrics. Fantasy or all-too-reality, it doesn’t really matter. The lyrical imagery is vivid and compelling, and ultimately had chills running up my spine. I’m not gonna’ give away the theme of this one . . . you need to hear for yourself.
Along with “Bleeding Principle”, “Blue Screen” is one of the highlights from the disc. It’s a cry out for everybody to wake the fuck up and stop taking the information that’s being fed to us as the be all, end all answer to everything. We, as an intelligent species, need to make informed decisions that are our own rather than following the popular view, or that which is being forced on us. Remember: the media is going to tell you to do something based on the beliefs of those who are stuffing the media owners pockets full of cash. Think responsibly!
This public service announcement was brought to you by the folks in The Waking.
And, as all of the social commentary is going on, the rest of the band are relentlessly kicking out the jams. A little double bass drum action here and there, classic metal riffdom, and some dynamic breaks give credence to their metal background, but it’s all tempered with that streetwise hardcore simplicity and sensibility. At moments, The Waking are simply pummeling you with a wall of sound, and then suddenly corral the noise into a tight space of musicality. “The Forgotten” is a good example of the juxtaposed moods.
Interestingly enough, besides Ryan McGuire, one of the executive producers on Blue Screen is Louis Svitek, who was at one time the guitarist for Mind Funk, Ministry, and M.O.D. with Billy Milano (S.O.D.) Not all at the same moment . . . only Warren Haynes can be in sixty bands at any given time and that’s only because he’s from another planet all together. Blue Screen was released on Wuli Records and is readily available by following those nifty little links at the end of the review . . . so, surf away, Waveriders. And if you find anything cool . . . don’t bogart all the goods! - Pope JTE
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