Wings Denied
Awake

Release Date: 2012 | Tracklist

Wing's Denied's debut offering of bedroom djent opens with an excellent track. "Maiden" is total belter, with a driving (and highly memorable!) riff and a catchy chorus, equal parts earnest and fun. It's very focused and maintains a compelling momentum throughout. The next song, "Clockwork" is mostly, for the similar reasons to the opener. However, it also exposes one of the album's main pitfalls: immediately after the first chorus, the lyrics "Every night I die/but with the rising sun I am/reborn" are delivered with full cringe, culminating in hollow-sounding harsh vocals that belong in yesterday's recycling. The EP is mercifully dominated by serviceable cleans, but anything out of this ballpark comes of as an approximation of self-sabotage.

The closer "Vultures" is a mixed bag. The opening section conveys an atmosphere of desolation very effectively, and are backed by a strong chorus. However, the track as a whole is a little short of the melodic qualities that made the rest of the EP so memorable; it comes off a little bland. Its mantra of "The song of freedom" fails to land in the slightest, only servicing to reinforce how un-anthemic the track as a whole is, especially given how clearly the vocalist's tone is not cut out for inspirational messages. As mentioned, the vocals are a bit of a double-edged sword; the other main problem is the low-mixed bass and its empty tone. The production as a whole is overly treble-friendly, and the low end of the mix is not sufficiently filled out. Otherwise, there aren't any major flaws. Many of the album's components are on point; the breakdowns and are well placed, and neither too extensive nor too plentiful. The solos are flashy without plunging into excessive shredding, and the drums underpin the three tracks energetically. It is clear that this band has considerable potential.

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3.7 great

Rank: #0 for 2012