ATHENA'S WAKE is a band from Geelong in Victoria, Australia, and formed in 2010. Their newest release, the "Contemplation" EP, is their second overall after last year's "Welcome To The Woodlands" EP.

The music on this EP is Technical Death Metal with hints of Deathcore and Black Metal, and the mix is a fairly entertaining one. "Diagnosis" opens with a frenzy of twisting riffs and jackhammer drumming that calls fearsome Tech Death group PSYCROPTIC to mind. The album's production is crisp and clear, giving the guitars a razor sharp attack and allowing for the full appreciation of every instrument. Adam Caciolo's vicious growls and shouts have a hardcore/deathcore edge to them, making their already brutal musical display even more potent. "The Messenger" alternates between a furious Blackened Death assault and slower sections built around huge, discordant riffs. The band acquits themselves as musicians of impressive caliber, effortlessly combining the speed and wide-ranging elements of their music into one neat, pulverizing package. The lead guitar sections, in "Remission" and at the end of "The Messenger", are a nice respite from the barrage of riffs and highlight the band's strong sense of melody, as does the melancholy instrumental "Epiphany." The latter song is impressive as a tasteful, haunting tune, and doesn't feel like an obligatory instrumental, as is the case on countless albums of a similar ilk. It keeps consistent with the tone of the rest of the songs while providing something of a breather before the aforementioned "Remission," which is a breathtakingly heavy offering that basically sums up the band's approach and, as the final track, ties things up quite nicely.

These days, the most compelling bands in Metal are the ones who stay ahead of the innovation curve, and ATHENA'S WAKE show that they have the skills to make brutal, challenging, and interesting music with the best of them on "Contemplation". The songs are varied yet still to-the-point, and are satisfying without much of the pomp or excess typically associated with Tech Death and Black Metal. It's not revolutionary stuff, but it is some very high-quality music. Fans of Technical and traditional Death Metal should find a lot to like about this one.
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