The Wake
DEATH-O-HOLIC

January 2006
Released: 2005, Spikefarm Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

The Finnish melo-deathsters have unleashed their 2nd full-length album for the hungry metal markets, aptly titled DEATH-O-HOLIC . I mean, melodic Göteborg´ish Death Metal in which lots of catchy melody parts tend to play an important role within a music, creating relatively memorable and nice harmonies and nuances. You know this little ´word monster´ called NWOSMDM´ - and what it is all about, don´t you? Granted, many of you easily get pimples these days when three mind-provoking words ´Göteborg Death Metal´ are mentioned somewhere. So do I. But for wholly different reasons as you may think. One cannot change the fact I really dig these fellows´ new album quite a lot unlike their debut album (ODE TO MY MISERY, released on Spikefarm in 2003) which left me kind of ´cold´ for some odd reason (?).



It´s sort of hard for me to pinpoint what has changed in them so drastically, but I just found DEATH-O-HOLIC a satisfying enough release for my liking. The Wake´s thoroughly melodic, but still hard-as-boner Death Metal simply won my unyielding ears for its side by a load of good things being in present in each of their songs on their 2nd album. The songs just have lots of a shameless rockin´ grooviness involved with them; the guitar parts are pretty punishing yet somewhat surprisingly heavy even, the band´s drummer Wellu seems to let his controlled and sort of sophisticated extra steam out the drum kit whereas Kaj sounds like his ass would have been filled up with red-hot steel bullets, screaming in great pains. While listening to the songs on the band´s 2nd output, such names as Arch Enemy, Carnal Forge and let´s say even Soilwork may occasionally flash in your mind. Some pretty obvious similarities to these 3 aforementioned bands are there, no doubts. Songs like "Rejected", "One More Day" and "The Elbow of Zeus" are all irritatingly marvelous pieces of evidences for that Göteborg´ish sounding Death Metal isn´t completely dead, but still pretty much alive and going strong. I do enjoy listening to albums like The Wake´s latest one every once in a while, even if in smaller doses.



Nothing changes the fact that The Wake has done a respectable good and catchy sounding album as wholeness; a good slab of Göteborg -tinged Death Metal which undoubtedly appeals many. Wanna bet?