Until I Wake Renovate

Renovate, as the name implies, represents a refreshed era for Buffalo, NY metal outfit Until I Wake. With the inclusion of new vocalist Justin Smith, there’s been an attempted switch up in their approach to music. They’ve never been the most unique or cutting edge band, but their style of electronics-infused modern metal has a lot of potential to grow from. On this new outing, they have decided to carve a fresh path for themselves by looking at some of their peers for inspiration.

We live in a post-Bad Omens world where it seems like everyone under the sun wants to shove disorienting transitions between modern R&B and “thall”-influenced heaviness into what somehow passes for metalcore nowadays. For those unaware, the term “thall” took root in online communities as a description for a sound that bands like Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath helped popularize: low pitch-shifted guitars, stuttering djent rhythms, and dissonant, high up bendy parts are all the rage now.

Until I Wake’s new album is an abomination of popular trends. You’ve got the glossy choruses that seem to occupy far too much of the runtime, shoehorned in rap parts, because of course you’ve got to double dip in the wannabe nu metal revival too, and aforementioned “thall” sections. Each aspect feels like they’re checking all the trend-hopper boxes to ensure Renovate will live on solely as a remnant of a great creative drought in which bands try desperately to chase internet trends instead of the genre’s roots

There are some heavier cuts, such as “The Reverence,” although I am cautious to even call it a heavy song. Beneath the mess of post-production, programmed double kick drums, and vocals that sound more like a guy testing out his fancy new techniques he learned from a professional tutor than a genuine display of emotion, and there’s nothing of substance here. Why did they set out to make a song like this? Sure, there are similar moments across other tracks on the record, but there’s a lack of commitment because they’re more than glad to switch back to the generic formula soon enough. Just when you might be enjoying the Meshuggah pastiche, the next track immediately brings us back to a harmless, bouncy djent riff that gives way to a stripped back, whispery verse filled to the brim with electronics. Repeat this structure a couple more times and you’ve guaranteed yourself some airtime on the radio or low-middle billing on a festival.

“Remember This” operates as a clean singing focused ballad, although this seems like an excuse to play even less riffs and let the vocals and backing tracks take control for a bit. Hey, why not throw in a guitar solo too, and then strip down the production to just a strummed guitar with slightly less but still incredibly processed vocals to complete the formula before launching into the main chorus one final time. And besides, the literal next track on the album, “Renovate,” which is the title track for crying out loud, sounds nearly identical. They try really hard to create an epic moment towards the end of the song, where everything dies down before being brought back with a snare roll and vocal lead up into a glorious display of theatrics, but the whole ordeal ended up boring me. I feel like I’m being swindled into having an emotional reaction.

This isn’t personal. I’m not getting out my pitchfork and hunting down Until I Wake specifically. Sure, Renovate at best just made me kind of bored, and at worst made me cringe so bad I had to pause my copy a couple times, but it’s at least listenable if you’re into this type of sound. It’s professionally made, and they seem into what they’re doing. It’s just not what I want out of heavy (again, is this even heavy?) music. This whole trend sucks. Bands aren’t even pretending anymore that they’re chasing success. They used to act like they were maturing, expanding their horizons, etc, but now? No, they’re more than happy to lap up Bring Me The Horizon’s stale leftovers. Sometimes it’s even successful, as shown by Until I Wake's 500k Spotify listeners. However, a part of me questions whether those are long lasting, dedicated fans or just a flash in the pan moment that will soon fade.

Bottom Line: Until I Wake unleash Renovate upon the world with lofty ambitions of shaking up their own sound. However, nothing on this record feels particularly new, much less interesting. There’s a mish-mash of trendy styles and tired beats that might be bearable in small doses, but fall apart on a full length release. The lyrics are cliché, the choruses are repetitive, and not even the heavy parts hit hard. This isn’t the worst collection of music ever, but I struggle to recommend it over better examples of a similar take on modern metal.