Long running Pennsylvania label Translation Loss Records has recently announced the release of Misery Rites, the newest murderous offering from Canadian grind band WAKE, who we interviewed back in August 2017, right before their European tour with powerviolent hardcore pack BACKSLIDER. Today, WAKE are back with even more blistering tunes and a thrilling new record, to be premiered on February 23, 2018. To celebrate, we’re offering you an early track by track feature and a first hand commentary from the band’s vocalist Kyle Ball, who kindly agreed to give us some insights on the content behind Misery Rites and go through all the songs, track by track to discuss each of enthralling songs. See more details below and scroll further down to see the full feature.
Few metal heads would say the name WAKE isn’t synonymous with “relentless”. Over the last decade, consistent ethics, back-to-back tours, and a veritable stream of releases have turned this humble grinding metal outfit into a Canadian institution. Misery Rites, WAKE’s sophomore album, delivers nine thunderously crushing songs and takes a harsh, introspective, and shattering look into the deep, interdimensional corners of intimate struggle. WAKE face their inner torment with fury and weave dark, caustic guitar playing and bludgeoning drums to create the raw, dark terror throughout Misery Rites.
In support of their February 23rd release of ‘Misery Rites’, WAKE have announced a string of tour dates that lead them through Canada and the United States, beginning on March 10th. WAKE will then join blackened death/doom powerhouse WITHERED (Season Of Mist) on March 27th, which will lead them throughout the United States and Canada for 13 dates, delivering harrowing death-grind along their path.
Misery Rites was recorded, mixed, and mastered in 2017 with Dave Otero at Flatline Audio (KHEMMIS, PRIMITIVE MAN, COBALT). Misery Rites is scheduled for release on February 23, 2018 and will be available on vinyl, compact disc, cassette, and digital. Pre-order is available now through Translation Loss Records.
Video teaser by Chariot of Black Moth.
Asked about the general concept of the record and its meaning, WAKE vocalist Kyle Ball offered the following:
This album is mostly focused on a continuous theme of perpetual cycles that consist of my own personal struggles with such things as depression, addiction, isolation, and how much of a beast they can be when you have to deal with them all at the same time.
The songs that fall in line with the above mentioned theme are very specific to my experiences, so I’ve used a lot of metaphors in hopes that it helps people relate to the songs on their own level as well. There’s some things in the songs that are a little bit too personal to my own situations that I won’t delve into too much here but I’ll offer a broader scope of what they’re about.
Track By Track commentary:
Exhumation
The album starts with the metaphor of me crawling out of my grave after killing off my old self that I’ve been battling. As the albums deals with cycles, this is the beginning of a new cycle and serves as a counterpart to the last song on the album ‘Burial Ground’.
Misery Rites
This one’s about how I’ve been in this cycle so many times in the past that it’s almost become a ritual at this point. This is the beginning of the descent, how I start to abandon everything that I’ve been pushing against and how I know the things (let’s just call them things for the sake of not being too specific) I’ve been finding my ‘comfort’ in, will also eventually abandon me and I’ll be left with nothing.
The album starts with the metaphor of me crawling out of my grave after killing off my old self that I’ve been battling. As the albums deals with cycles, this is the beginning of a new cycle and serves as a counterpart to the last song on the album ‘Burial Ground’.
This one’s about how I’ve been in this cycle so many times in the past that it’s almost become a ritual at this point. This is the beginning of the descent, how I start to abandon everything that I’ve been pushing against and how I know the things (let’s just call them things for the sake of not being too specific) I’ve been finding my ‘comfort’ in, will also eventually abandon me and I’ll be left with nothing.
Embers
I’m not a religious person in anyway but I do believe that peoples one true God is themself. That being said, this is about desecrating and burning down the house of god until it remains in nothing but burning embers. It also brings up the questions of whether or not I keep doing this to myself because it’s the only way I know how to exist? Has it gotten to the point that the only comfort I can find is in my own misery?
Rot
This was one of the first songs we had written for the album and I wrote this before I had come up with the main theme. There’s not much to say about this one except it’s about my hatred for cops. The lyrics are very straight forward so you don’t need to dig through any kind of metaphors to understand what I’m talking about.
Paradigm Lost
This was the second song I wrote so this doesn’t fall In line with the main theme either. This is about how our entire existence is as temporary as the blink of an eye in the cosmic scope of things. There will be a day when the sun explodes and it’ll burn the world away and every one left on it. To think that we’re nothing more than some accidental sentient disease, like an earthly cancer is kind of delusional to me. Believing that some sort of man made belief system like religion is going to save us and offer some sort of eternal existence outside of this, is very arrogant in my opinion.
Rumination
This is the last song that steps out of the main theme and is also the last lyrics I wrote. Originally I had wrote it about some social issue that I can’t remember right now, and I found myself kind of just regurgitating things that I had already said before. Coming off the heels of writing the remainder of the record, I decided to keep it personal to me. I focused the lyrics on how sometimes when I write about social and political issues, I feel like my lyrics just turn into another part of this giant echo chamber of things that countless other people have already said.
Bitter Winter
This one is about being lost and being so deep in denial about my situation that I would rather remain there then have to come to terms with what I’m doing to myself. As quickly as I start to feel bad about what I’m doing, I’m just as quick to cast any shame or guilt out of my conscience.
Burial Ground
This last song is when I finally come to the realization I need to face my problems. I’ve had some pretty dark times when I was at my worst and I think it’s pretty obvious in these lyrics. This is the song where I bury the person I’ve become and even though I’ve convinced myself that it’s over, in the back my mind I know that it’s not and I’m doomed to repeat it again.
WAKE / WITHERED American Tour:
03/10/18 Calgary, AB (CA) The Palomino*
03/16/18 Edmonton, AB (CA) The Starlite Room*
03/17/18 Saskatoon, SK (CA)Amigo’s Cantina*
03/24/18 Winnipeg, MB (CA) The Windsor*
03/25/18 Minneapolis, MN (US) 7St Entry*
03/26/18 Dekalb, IL (US) 7St Space*with WITHERED:
03/27/18 Chicago, IL (US) Subterranean downstairs
03/28/18 Detroit MI (US) Cellarmens
03/29/18 Pittsburgh, PA (US) Mr. Roboto Project
03/30/18 Toronto, ON (CA) Coalition
03/31/18 Montreal, QC (CA) Casa Del Popolo
04/1/18 Portland, ME (US) Geno’s Rock Club
04/2/18 Boston, MA (US) O’Briens’s
04/3/18 Philadelphia, PA (US) Kung Fu Necktie
04/4/18 Brooklyn, NY (US) St Vitus
04/5/18 Baltimore, MD (US) Sidebar
04/06/18 Richmond, VA (US) Strange Matter
04/7/18 Spartanburg, SC (US) Ground Zero
04/8/18 Atlanta, GA (US) The Earl
04/9/18 Memphis, TN (US) Rockhouse Live*
04/11/18 Denver, CO (US) Hi-Dive**WAKE ONLY
