UNTIL I WAKE - INSIDE MY HEAD
Credit: Yellowbox Films
Buffalo metal quartet Until I Wake, have shaken the scene to the core with their debut album Inside My Head.
The band made their ground shaking appearance in the local Buffalo scene in 2020. The band consists of the wonderful vocalist Cody Johnson, killer bassist Ryan Ridley, magnificent guitarist August Geitner, and fantastic drummer Alex Curtin. After gaining attention and a fan base, they released their six track self-titled EP in 2021. The amount of praise and views, ranged in the millions worldwide. Now, they have released their debut album Inside My Head! The album contains 13 hard-hitting and fast-paced tracks that are guaranteed to make you move and headbang.
Throughout the album, it explores the mental process of feeling abandoned, forsaken, and left for dead, but also how you can overcome it and move forward. The group comes out the gate with an introduction or better yet a warning. Leading track ‘The Sacrifice’, gives 51 seconds of introduction into how the world has been sacrificed and that you must save yourself from destruction. Leading into the second track ‘Forsaken’, you are immediately thrown headfirst into heavy guitar riffs, killer screams, but also deep and meaningful lyrics. “We are empty-We can't be saved-We are the broken-We can't be fixed” further feed off of ‘The Sacrifice’ and reinforce the feeling of being left and dead and that no one can fix you.
Afterwards you are hit with powerhouse tracks, ‘Fake’, Octane’, and ‘Reasons’. Each track opens with a more synthesized approach that gives the tracks the feeling of realization. It seems that they are ‘losing hope’ and giving in to the depressive feeling of being abandoned. In ‘Reasons’ it is said that “I am losing hope”, giving the impression that they have given up. Luckily as a result ‘hope ur happy’, ‘Inside My Head’, and ‘Still Sinking’ show the growth and coming to terms with the depression and neglect that has been received. In ‘Inside My Head’ Johnson says, “there are many memories that make me sick” which is followed by a heavy breakdown. The breakdown after those passionate lyrics seems to have broken down the wall of grief that was holding them back.
At this point the album hits a complete turning point, from being depressed and abandoned to feeling strong and empowered. Track 11, ‘For The Record’ opened the door to the complete acceptance and understanding of the situation at hand. ‘No one loves you like I could’ is repeated many times throughout the song, giving the impression that there is still animosity to the situation, but they have gotten over it and moved forward.
The album closes out with two high spirited tracks,’ Legacy’ and ‘Marching Forward’ . ‘Legacy’ is strictly melodic and showcases the vocal talent of Johnson with the softer vocals that carry the entire track. He explains through this track that he ‘is alive, but broken’, explaining that you can make it through anything, but that does not mean you will come out unscathed. The final track ‘Marching Forward’ packs a punch. Opening with the voice of an announcer explaining how ‘fire of control is a male’s greatest enemy’, meaning that the fire inside of a man that is ignited once enough is enough could destroy them. This final track leaves us wondering, did they ignite and lose the battle or did they contain the flame and march forward?
Throughout this album Until I Wake shows the complete versatility of their band. From incorporating nu-metal, synthetic elements, and metal proves that this band is here to stay and will continue to pack a heavy-hitting punch. Inside My Head gives hope to listeners by not only following the storyline of the album, but that there is a new metal band that is here to crush the metal scene!
Cimone Milner
★★★★★