A Wake In Providence – Eternity
Release Date: 21st October 2022
Label: Unique Leader Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Deathcore, Symphonic Deathcore, Blackened Deathcore.
FFO: Lorna Shore, Vulvodynia, When Plagues Collide, Worm Shepherd.
Review By: Mike Leighton
Sleeping giants of deathcore, A Wake In Providence, emerged from the Staten Island shadows of New York back in 2010, and have been an insidious force in the deathcore crucible ever since. Since their forming, A Wake In Providence have released 2 EPs (Serpents, 2012 and Insidious, 2015) along with two full length albums. Insidious: Phase II, their first full length released in 2017, and then came their breakout album, The Blvck Sun / The Blood Moon in 2019. Eternity, their third full length, will be released under Unique Leader Records, and its members consist of Adam Mercer on vocals, D’Andre Tyre heading up guitar/orchestration/backing vocals, Jordan Felion on guitar, and Jesse Mcenneny on drums! Based solely on the singles released so far, A Wake In Providence have created a truly epic listening experience for fans, and I am extremely excited to get the chance to listen!
First single since The Black Sun, The Horror ov The Old Gods, is just straight symphonic brutality. You can really hear how the members have grown as musicians since the last release. Adam Mercer sounds better than ever and could rival that of some of the bigger names in deathcore. The guitar composition, and production is top-notch and rarely ever boring. Overall, this track is a perfect representation of just how strong a band A Wake In Providence is.
We Are Eternity, was the second single released, and it was just as strong as the first. Adam Mercer’s vocal delivery on this track is everything I have grown to love from a deathcore vocalist. The part that really stuck out in this track is when he breaks from the gutturals for a moment, and we get to hear D’Andre sing a chorus-like portion. Although it is more of a mini chorus, it still blends seamlessly with the flow of the song. The fourth track, Siamo Legati Dal Terrore, or “We Are Bound By Terror,” begins with a really cool almost diminished guitar riff alongside some truly evil vocals. Further into the song we get some more singing from D’Andre (which I personally love), but it is not the same singing you would expect on a metalcore song, but more like a priest singing a dark hymn during a dark sermon. It is a phenomenal track and includes some wonderful growls resembling those of Devin Duarte of Worm Shepherd.
Next, we have The Hunt ov The Wraith (First Movement), which started off a little lacklustre, but eventually picked up. This tracked sounded a lot like Siamo at the start, but slowly became its own beast. Three quarters of the way through, and we get our first taste of D’Andre’s guitar soloing skills. He killed it, and it fit right at home with the rest of the track. Almost immediately following the ending, the song leads into The Book of The Eldritch (The Second Movement). Starting off with some truly malevolent orchestration and choral singing, this song was already climbing my list of top tracks. Then Adam came in and laid down some truly nasty growls. Throughout the song, we get another tinge of the singing vocals that have been tastefully laid out throughout the album. Completing this trio of tracks is The Court ov The Trinity (The Final Movement), and it also happens to be the longest track on the record, coming in at just over seven minutes. It starts off much like the second movement, with some dark orchestration and evil vocals. After hearing the entire song, I can say it is an extremely strong entry into the album, especially as it ends with some groovy guitar riffs!
As eerie as the next track sounds, Weep Into The Abyss For It Hears You Not, it has its role to play. Not only does it split the first, second and third movement from the last and final track, but it also acts as an ethereal beginning for the closing track. Vicious Attenuation was just as strong as the rest of the tracks on the album; brutal, beautifully constructed, and elegantly executed, this track closes out an extremely strong release from A Wake In Providence. Eternity, as an album, adds to an extremely strong fourth quarter of an insanely strong year for heavy music.
Eternity easily ranks high on metal album releases this year, alongside the likes of Pain Remains by Lorna Shore and Ritual Hymns by Worm Shepherd. It is truly an album to be proud of, and I tip my hat to the gents in A Wake In Providence. A Wake In Providence have taken their already tried and true sound and elevated it to an even more epic level. From the vocals to the guitars, to the orchestration, these guys have really stepped up their game, learned from their past releases, and it shows!
This album is truly a masterpiece, and one worthy of making Album of the Year lists.
(5 / 5)
