The return of the likeable Wade Black to the discography with the band that bears his name but also has a clear reference to the past. For anyone who lives under a rock, let me remind you that Wade was the singer we saw in the resurrection of Crimson Glory with their fourth album “Astronomica”, which was good but didn’t go anywhere.
Clearly then, Wade’s move to associate his new beginning with 1999, even the cover artwork screams of resemblance. Before listening to the album, I had seen two videos on youtube “Darkness Falls” and “Destiny” which had left me with mixed feelings. Shortly afterwards I saw them live at Up The Hammers where they didn’t convince me compositionally either.
Listening to the album as a whole I can say that it has few elements that tie it to “Astronomica”. This is not inherently bad. In the end we are talking about two works 25 years apart. Musically moving “The Awakening” could be defined as modern power metal with some progressive elements.
So far so good. Where the problems start is that compositionally the band tries to balance many things together. So, there are several harder parts that don’t blend in any way with the more melodic moments. On the other hand, some compositions sound more like a series of ideas than like cohesive tracks.
Yes, Wade’s voice still holds up well, he reached 56 as well, but either way that alone doesn’t save the lot. More decent moments I consider “Protectors of The Realm” and “Darkness Falls” while there are several ok ideas scattered but that’s about it.
I consider “The Awakening” an album with a problem in its direction that will hardly find its audience. Yes, romantically speaking certainly anyone who nurtures a love for anything Crimson Glory related deserves to give it a chance but I don’t hold out much hope for its direction.
