Rwake ‎– The Return Of Magik

2 x Copper Nugget Vinyl 

Recorded in early 2024 at East End Sounds in Hensley, Arkansas, The Return of Magik introduces RWAKE’s new lead guitarist Austin Sublett with a barrage of shredded solos suited to the angular, progressive metal riffing of the album’s most jaw-clenching moments, while presenting a through-line of molten, immersive ambience. The opener “You Swore We’d Always Be Together“  - already a fixture of live sets - and the expansive sprawl of “Distant Constellations and the Psychedelic Incarceration” move with cruelty and grace alike. Foreboding, syncopated riffs sway against Moog-driven space and guttural bellows. The Return of Magik’s songs stand alone as individualized post-metallic blends of genres. 

RWAKE remain dually fronted; Chris Terry’s powerful vocals lay against Brittany Fugate’s visceral screams. Jeff Morgan returns to the drum kit, in addition to acoustic guitar and 12-string bass. Bassist/noisemaker Reid Raley, Sublett, and fellow guitarist John Judkins set an instrumental backdrop that is vast and engrossing in itself - quiet, contemplative passages often explode into gut-wrenching, doomed out distortions. The Return of Magik burns brighter and beyond the ferocity of the band’s already storied catalog.

Although the Magik may be bleak, the manner in which RWAKE revels in it can only be called a celebration.

Genre: Doom Metal / Sludge / Heavy Psyche