ALBUM REVIEW: Inside My Head – Until I Wake

Should an album tell a story, or should it be a simple amalgamation of smaller tales? Consistency is key no matter the answer. Albums bring fans and casual listeners in after all. Though in a time where playlists reign supreme over the traditional album, that continuity becomes lost in translation – something which UNTIL I WAKE stumble across with their latest title Inside My Head. The follow up to 2021’s self-titled EP, Inside My Head sees the Buffalo quartet offer up a substantial, albeit slightly confused effort.

Introductory track The Sacrifice opens the door to a dystopian nightmare where new galactic overlords come to be humanity’s Sovereign. The announcement of “those who oppose their doctrines will be exterminated” against the panicked cries of civilisation, combined with the ferocity of following Forsaken make for an exquisite execution. Thick riffs from August Geitner (guitar) appease our need for metalcore sharpness. Alex Curtin’s steady beats keep the song from running away with itself under the chaotic ramblings of Cody Johnson (vocals). If quintessential metalcore is being sought, Forsaken has it, treading the fine line between devastating blastbeats and glitching intermissions.

From here, Inside My Head’s wheels begin to wobble. The fledgling story from its predecessors is abandoned in favour of chatter about relationship struggles and the ongoing battle against ourselves – neither of which are a bad thing to speak about when you have the platform for it. In this instance it causes the album to become disjointed. Fake speaks of the ills of never knowing the person you share a relationship with. Johnson’s growls counteract the seemingly pop-punk elements of his cleans, depicting both sides of the duplicitous person when their mask begins to slip. In comparison to the two previous tracks, Fake leans toward the more electronic elements of metalcore. Again not a bad thing, but when the momentum UNTIL I WAKE worked so hard to produce grinds to a crawl, therein lies the issue.

Does that momentum ever recover? There are solid attempts, yes. The fade in riff of Octane has the potential to hit like a freight train yet it becomes dominated by produced beats and melodies. The verse’s dark two-step is counteracted by beautifully aggressive growls in the second half of the track, the masquerade of Fake finally at an end. Octane seeks to expose the liar for what they are, screaming “you never pulled your weight” when it comes to the flatlining relationship. It’s here the continuity we mentioned earlier resumes as Reasons tells the tale of needing to leave a toxic situation “where I just co-exist with my depression”. Rapped verses give a nice change of pace but the slower club vibes from the instrumental pull it back further than it needs to.

As we begin to settle into the synth-led brand of metalcore UNTIL I WAKE provide, our attention turns to lyrical content. While relationships are a massive part of our lives and the destruction of them can be devastating, we wonder how many songs on a single album need to be dedicated to that subject. How many ways can we possibly say one person has hurt us before we exhaust the sentiment? hope ur happy, the title track, and Octane all do this before Reasons and Still Sinking turn that blame introspective. There is one track we will come to in a moment.

Title tracks are typically the strongest effort on an album. That could be for either sonic or message reasons. With minimalist verses which dive into the mental ramifications of the subjects before, it can be argued this is indeed the strongest track from the offering. Cast upon a sea of morose synths with undulating riffs, UNTIL I WAKE find their balance once more. The chorus is evocative and catchy, one to sing when needing to release the pent-up negativity. When presented with the moment to capitalise upon it with the “blegh” style breakdown, it ends before it’s properly begun. Still Sinking carries this sentiment on with an attention grasping riff and scathing growls. Focussing on drowning in a sea of our own issues, this is refreshing change in subject. Johnson’s contemplating “how long ‘til I’ve had enough” against keys and synths is wonderfully reflective. Yet Still Sinking suffers the same fate as the relentless bridge is far too short to become sweet.

The tandem of Blue Beam and For The Record is an interesting one. UNTIL I WAKE interrupt their own story once more for the ominous Blue Beam, a horror-filled banger about being taken over by a new world order. The automated “welcome, death has arrived” flowing into an angular riff reminds us of material from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE’s catalogue. The growls in the verses are spectacular when ripping through the subtle choral elements beneath them. This is where the wheels fall off. Circling back to a track we wanted to mention, For The Record is lyrically uncomfortable. There are many songs which cover an obsessive nature to relationships, but many more which border on stalker territory. Yes, there are even songs about murdering the object of our desire. However, the lines “No one loves you like I could / But you make me violent” hammer on a button we’d rather didn’t exist. We mentioned previously about using your platform for bringing awareness to things such as mental health. However, it’s irresponsible to use that same platform to utilise lyrics such as “you’re sorry cause you’re terrified of what I’m gonna do”. The sentiment we just expressed may not win us many brownie points but to skirt around it wouldn’t do so either.

At the top of the review, we stated Inside My Head feels confused in what it wanted to do. What story did it want to tell? What timeline is it following? What was the intention? That clarity will come to UNTIL I WAKE in time. It isn’t a terrible record by any means. There are some wonderful moments on here but there are also pitfalls. It’s a substantial effort from a band who are finding their feet and we wish them all the best moving forward. From the foundations they’ve built with Inside My Head, UNTIL I WAKE could have a very solid future ahead of them.

Rating: 6/10

Inside My Head is out now via Fearless Records.

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