The EP kicks off with the introduction-come-song Should the Day Come which sets the tone nicely. It's bassy tone, courtesy of Billy Suter's heavy basslines bring other modern metal bands like Heart of a Coward to mind. It is not long before the first 'proper' song Hours Pass starts which is full of headbanging riffs and excellent vocals from West. The chorus is the high point of the song, with gang vocals to bulk up the sound and some of those guitar leads that I mentioned above. Leon Deeley's drum sound throughout is really excellent. He punches through the music well and his double-bass drumming is excellent. The song is over almost as soon as it has begun but the energy continues on into the next song Rise and Fall. The band filmed a video for this song, which can be seen below, and it is probably the best song on the album. The riffs have a really nice groove to them and it is worth mentioning here that none of the songs on this album are really all that fast. This is not a speed-fest, but instead an exercise in pounding rhythms that you can headbang to. Hadley's Hope has a nice distant-sounding effect in the intro before the metal resumes full throttle. The riffs in this song have a really nice stop-start rhythm to them, which helps it stand out from the rest. This EP manages to avoid being a constant chug, and breaking up the pace with slightly off-kilter riffing sections helps this. Lifeless is probably the catchiest number here and would probably be the highlight of their live set. West really sings his heart out on this one, and the catchy gang vocal sections are made to be sung live by a sweaty metal crowd. The bass really shines towards the end of the song, and a few pinch harmonics keep things interesting. After the short instrumental Ambition, the album's final number For All of Us brings things to a close nicely. It is the album's 'epic' track, which leads on nicely from the melodic sheen of Ambition, and builds up from a slow pace to a fast number with plenty of huge gang vocal sections to get the crowd involved. Again, the subtle guitar leads are excellent in helping to enhance the song's melodies and West uses plenty of emotion in his voice. Some higher, almost spoken, vocals which are in great contrast to the usual deeper growls, sung by Fenney, are a highlight towards the end. The song fades to a close with some nice harmonised lead guitars and anthemic drums. Overall, this a really solid debut release from a band which have the potential to do great things. They are definitely ones to keep an eye on!
The album was released on 8th March 2014. Below is the link to the band's Bandcamp page, where you can hear the whole EP for free, and their promotional video for Rise and Fall.
https://thesleeperwakes.bandcamp.com/
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