From Saint Louis, Missouri, DISCREPANCIES offer us a second album called "The Awakening". Let's have a look at this quartet made of four friends that shares different tastes in music, resulting in a mash-up of styles from Metal to Rap, Hip-Hop to Rock and so on. Let's be honest, Rap and HipHop isn't my cup of tea, so at first i wasn't sure about this. But they got strings, drums, well they are an entire Rock outfit so this could be worth a listen. "The Awakening" is their second effort since their six-song debut EP in 2013, featuring their first single "Get Hype" also available in video. "The Awakening" is available since March 23 on InVogue Records.

I dig the cover art , it reminds me of Travis Smith's work (CONTROL DENIED, NOVEMBER'S DOOM, DEADSOUL TRIBE, OPETH, ANATHEMA). It all starts with a very interesting intro by Alan watts, A Bristish philosopher and speaker that I already know and appreciate. The intro is Called "Dream of Life," and i invite you to google it and listen to the video, it is worth it. Positive text , positive thinking, I loved the idea of using it. It reflects very well the spirit of the album. Now we set sails to new horizons with the title track. -WAKE UP WAKE UP! GET UP! GET UP! It's time to do what's must be done. Being strong, and going forward is the mantra of the song and for the entire album. We got nice vocals here from Dan Marsala, decent harmonies, various types of singing altogether or sharing the space. Great homogeneous song.

The next one is very accessible. The guitars are really NU-Metal oriented but we can feel Progressive Metal inspiration at times and it gives another perspective to the song. The vocals are getting the job done right and are pleasant to hear. The choruses made me think about FAITH NO MORE some times. "Raising the Bar" is like RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE for me. The Rap parts sounded like some PUBLIC ENEMY's  "Fear of a Black Planet" era.  Revendication is the word. We'll come back stronger than before,they say loudly. Positive energy here, cheers you up. "Not Alone" is a visit into our inner selves; dark and cold and not always bright shiny. This one is very LINKIN PARK like, should be a highlight. In "Live," the riffs sometimes have progressive tempo signatures there and there lightly. There's a darkness everywhere you know but you're NOT ALONE.

"Prevails" is the sixth track and has a pretty cool ambiance...again LINKIN PARK fans will be delighted here. The seventh song "Wake up" begins with great inspired soft guitars and offers a wonderful beginning to the song. Hiphop isn't my cup of tea and i know i'm not a pro with that genre but I can say I like the singing here. Why? Because it's stimulating and positive, it doesn't sell superficial dreams and get to the essentials. EMINEM feel in the singing. Great work.

DISCREPANCIES are about proving yourself, honesty, achievement, love, friendship, evolving and fighting in order to keep it or reach it. They have great potential here. They're not reinventing the wheel , but making it rolling down the hazardous cliffs of everyday life, full speed ahead with no compromises. For fans of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, LINKIN PARK, LUPE FIASCO, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, PERIPHERY, and TECH N9NE. They'll play the Vans Warped Tour this summer so go see them if my review inspired you. The album is out since March 23 on InVogue records.