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Writer's pictureSammie Starr

Album Review: Until I Wake 'Inside My Head'

New York quartet Until I Wake release their impassionately turbulent and evocatively atmospheric debut album Inside My Head.



NY quartet Until I Wake have always possessed the unique ability to turn their internal struggles into external catharsis. Since 2019, the band has created a captivating mix of metallic hardcore with their 2021 self-titled EP, colored in with emotionally charged melodies, using real-life trials, tribulations, and triumphs as a lyrical backdrop throughout their career.


"Full of vitriol and vocal venom, "Still Sinking" brings the contentious nature and melodies of the album up to an 11. With lightning-quick instrumental vehemence, it's a welcome surprise that serves the record well for contrasting otherworldly experiences like "Undeserving."

Now with their new debut album release, Inside My Head, Until I Wake keeps in stride with their sound, with internal conflicts being the central focus while musically embodying everything Until I Wake is.

The album opens up with a cinematic intro, "The Sacrifice." A perfect beginning chapter to what unfolds for the rest of the album, Until I Wake shows attention to detail when fully immersing the listener in Inside My Head via Fearless Records.

The opening moment "Forsaken" launches the album with a scorching introduction to the album. Pulling no punches from the get-go with an assault of guitar lines coupled with melodic cadence and solemn lyricism, "Forsaken" begins the album on an impactful high note.


"Octane" and "hope ur happy" continue the momentum with their bombastic riff work,

deeply layered vocals, and atmospheric instrumental energies. One of Until I Wakes' best displays on the record shows how much they have grown from their 2021 EP effort and their willingness to dive into different creative territories.


"Inside Mt Head" is where the intensity drops, yet it doesn't take away from the aggressive nature of the album. With its rich melancholic atmospherics that seems to waltz together with gorgeous bellicism and thunderous guitar riffs, "Inside My Head" serves as a poignant pallet cleanser until we reach the leviathan of a track, "Still Sinking."

Full of vitriol and vocal venom, "Still Sinking" brings the contentious nature and melodies of the album up to an 11. With lightning-quick instrumental vehemence, it's a welcome surprise that serves the record well for contrasting otherworldly experiences like "Undeserving."

Electric-metalcore moment "For The Record" takes center focus toward the end of the album. While the band has shown their taste for testing the genre waters throughout the album holds no bounds, Until I Wake proves that no matter what they choose to mix their sound with, it's always carefully thought out without abandoning their original soundscapes.

The album concludes with a vividly destructive orchestral finale, "Marching Forward." A phenomenal work of ferocious guitar riffs, passionately raw vocals, and rapid sections of impassioned percussive work, Until I Wake ends with one of their best tracks to date.


Inside My Head is one of the most textured, lyrically detailed, and evocatively detailed efforts the band has released up until this point. While this is the beginning of something special with a record label and debut album Until I Wake has made a work that is an impressive start for their blooming careers.



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