On July 22nd, Canada's WAKE will release their sixth full-length, Thought Form Descent, via Metal Blade Records. For a first preview of the album, a new video for the single "Swallow the Light" (directed by Michael Jari Davidson//@MJD_DOP) can be viewed at: https://metalblade.com/wake - where Thought Form Descent can also be pre-ordered in the following formats:
- digipak-CD
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- leaf green marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- red marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- olive green marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
Never a band interested in repeating themselves, WAKE has evolved with every release. 2020's Devouring Ruin made this clearer than ever, hammering the point home with the Confluence EP in the same year, and now they return with Thought Form Descent - their most dynamic, diverse and emotional release to date. "I'd describe the record as a place to reconsider what 'extreme' means. The words 'brutal', 'crushing', 'devastating' are overused adjectives for extreme music. We wanted to force people to confront the idea that 'brutal' or 'extreme' ideas aren't just blastbeats or angular tritones, or, more importantly, 'brutal' elements alongside pointedly passive elements can create their own experience that can channel both and neither." The result is eight nuanced tracks that run the gamut from relentlessly heavy to exquisitely beautiful - often simultaneously - and instantly grab hold of the listener, demanding their full attention. However, at the same time, they are lushly textured and densely layered, and offer more with every subsequent exposure, unfurling to show hidden depths, and taking WAKE to a whole new level.
To track the album, the band once again collaborated with Dave Otero (Allegaeon, Cattle Decapitation) at Flatline Audio in Denver, CO. "Dave is someone who does something we love - supersedes what people think of him. Sure, he recorded many successful death metal albums, but his ability to understand pop music and its composition, his knowledge of music theory and his willingness to get right into the movement of a song and its chord progressions, not just the riffs, are things that go way beyond 'death metal'. He can make hard right turns into wildly different sonic territory without batting an eyelash, and he always has an idea during the deviation, too. He contributed a lot to this record." Having prepared exhaustively in advance, once in the studio the band were able to try new things, play with ideas and rearrange songs, having the time to go down the proverbial rabbit hole and see where it took them. Kevin Hufnagel of Gorguts also makes an appearance, playing guitar on "Pareidolia" and "Observer To Master", the latter track one of the most melodic on the record.
Thought Form Descent track-listing
1. Infinite Inward
2. Swallow the Light
3. Mourning Dirge (Repose of the Dead)
4. Pareidolia (feat. Kevin Hufnagel of Gorguts)
5. Venerate (The Undoing of All)
6. Observer to Master (feat. Kevin Hufnagel of Gorguts)
7. Bleeding Eyes of the Watcher
8. The Translation of Deaths
For fans eager to hear the latest from WAKE, the band will be on the road across North America - starting this week! - with Misery Index, Origin, and Wolf King. See below for all dates.
WAKE tour dates
w/ Misery Index, Origin, Wolf King
May 6 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge
May 7 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theater
May 8 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
May 9 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
May 10 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
May 11 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques
May 12 - Quebec City, QC - La Source De La Martiniere
May 13 - Boston, MA - Sonia
May 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
May 15 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
May 16 - Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger
May 17 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (HELL)
May 18 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
May 19 - New Orleans, LA - Banks Street Bar
May 20 - Houston, TX - Acadia
May 21 - Dallas, TX - Amplified
May 22 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It
May 24 - Denver, CO - Hi-dive * WAKE only
May 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - Aces High Saloon * WAKE only
WAKE line-up:
Josh Bueckert - Drums
Arjun Gill - Guitars
Rob LaChance - Guitars
Kyle Ball - Vocals
Ryan Kennedy - Bass
WAKE online:
https://wakegrind.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/wakeyyc
https://www.instagram.com/wake.ca/
https://www.youtube.com/wakegrind
