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Awaken Demons: The Mirror

Awaken Demons: The Mirror

Hardcore Metal
Rating: 2.0/5.0

Trustkill Records
www.myspace.com/awakendemons
Review: Craig Hartranft,  08.23.2009

The hardcore metal machine keeps rumbling along like a runaway train. This time the heavy freight train arrives from Italy with Awaken Demons second release The Mirror. Again, here is another international band trying to suckle from the current American modern metal cash cow that should have been slaughtered years ago. For their part and to their credit, Awaken Demons is truly trying to increase their credibility and maintain their honesty without causing us to suspend our credulity.

On the former point, to establish their cred, Awaken Demons brings better production to The Mirror than previously found on From Heaven To Hell (2007). Additionally, a little help from some genre heavyweights doesn't hurt either. The Mirror features guest vocals from Vincent Bennet (The Acacia Strain), Karl Buechner (Earth Crisis), and Paul Swimm (Meltdown). These things give this album an air of respectability in their field, but does little to overcome its inherent similarity to everything else in the field.

On the latter point, on The Mirror Awaken Demons honestly displays their simple lack of creativity. Except for a few clever drum fills, interesting arrangements with some tricky tempo changes, and a very slight hint of some melody The Mirror is cookie cutter current hardcore metal.

Typically, vocalist Luca Zattoni awakens and vents his inner demons with the usual 'you don't understand me, so f*ck you' lyrical hate mongering screams. Of course, being hardcore, Awaken Demons has to drop the f-bomb liberally to the point of boring oversaturation. Ho hum! I guess it's too much to ask these bands to sing about something thoughtful. Also typically, guitarist Andrea Bassetti succeeds at brutal riffing, but probably couldn't puff off a guitar solo to save the tower in Pisa from falling over. On the positive side, The Mirror is a short 10 song album with most songs clocking in around three minutes or less. Thankfully, you don't have to bear this mediocre brutality and vulgarity for too long.

Awaken Demons should really look more closely in The Mirror. A careful look will reveal that they are merely another hardcore metal band like any other with little creativity or promise trying to cash in on the latest modern metal trends. It's like the hair metal days of LA twenty years ago. Yes, Awaken Demons should look in the mirror once more, and then kick their own asses for being so mundane.

In Short

Awaken Demons should really look more closely in The Mirror. A careful look will reveal that they are merely another hardcore metal band like any other with little creativity or promise trying to cash in on the latest modern metal trends. Yes, Awaken Demons should look in the mirror once more, and then kick their own asses for being so mundane.

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