Sweden’s Dead Awaken were formed in early 2002 as a quartet. Throughout the years, the band recorded and self-released a handful of demonstrational stuff (Death Before Dishonour, 2002; Instrument Of War, 2003; ..Tomorrow We Die.., 2004; Scar Graced Earth, 2006; and The Noble Art Of Agitation, 2008) and they were able to play at interesting local gigs, but the band’s popularity remained limited to their home country. Besides, they did undergo lots of tempo changes; Dead Awaken’s full length, by the way, which this review deals about, was recorded by none of the original members. As a matter of fact, the current line-up (and the recording line-up) totally consists of former Abhoth-members (with Jörgen Kristensen as leading person; he joined the crew, by the way, shortly after the band was formed).
Indeed it took a long time, since the band’s latest release was the 2008-demo, but finally the stuff for Dead Awaken’s debut got finished, and shortly after the recording sessions, they were signed by the interesting American label Abyss Records. Was it worth waiting for? Well, that’s a doubtful question.
What this band brings is a no-nonsense form of uncompromising Death Metal in the vein of the late eighties / very early nineties. It does sound universal, i.e. one cannot just say this band sounds like the bands that did characterise the Swedish scene back then. I would rather have thought, if I hadn’t read the bio, that this band hailed from Germany or Holland, as a matter of fact. But that’s incorrect, apparently, and that’s a positive element too (for too many Swedish bands do sound Swedish and that’s it). Yet I do miss a couple of aspects. There is no originality. Normally that cannot be a problem, yet when not sounding original you need to be better than the average. That’s not the case right here. The whole sounds too predictable and, on top of it, too ‘flat’. I mean that I do miss variation as well. A couple of tracks, or parts, are more than acceptable, yet the big deal is way too same-shitty-sounding. Another remark is the sound, which is way too dull. It is a shocking surprise, because we’re 2013, and not 1990 anymore. No, I do not like a polished, ultra-clean sound either, yet the balance in between the instruments is not satisfying. And finally, there is not one single track that really strikes me, or that keeps on caressing my aural memory.
Is it a bad release then? No, for sure not. But to strike nowadays, something ‘more’ is required.