Mudface - "Awaken to a Different Sun" (Art Gates Records, 2019)

Band: Mudface
Title: Awaken to a Different Sun
Genre: Modern Metal with different influences
Time: 22.23 min
Release Date: 28th June 2019
Vote: 73/100













After Of Fire, this is a new review about an Art Gates Rec's release! In fact, today you'll know the existence of a quintet coming from San Francisco, California, whose moniker is Mudface. Even though their official story starts in 2005, they were founded in the now very far 1998 under the curious name of S1ft but, with it, they released only 3 demos. Instead, the band has been surely luckier under the most aggressive name of Mudface since they edited 2 full-lenght albums so far. Well, their last production isn't an album but a nice EP entitled "Awaken to a Different Sun", that spews forth an interesting sound not so extreme for the Timpani allo Spiedo standards but, anyway, pleasantly uncommon on these pages.

Before listening to "Awaken to a Different Sun", I thought that it could be something into the territory of the heavy/thrash metal spectrum, as noticed by Metal-Archives. But the truth isn't that because Mudface, through the 5 tracks of the EP, plays a quite personal and unclassifiable kind of modern metal taking inspirations from many genres, such as industrial, thrash, groove and also a bit of (hardcore) punk, as rightly stated by the same Art Gates. The final result led to a music mainly built upon heavy mid-tempos and capable to alternate the most aggressive songs with the more melodic ones. You can realize this alternation also through the versatile vocal department, that is formed by Chris Dinsmore (the only original member of S1ft) and Brett Crane, who plays also the keyboards, adding a sort of industrial atmosphere to the entire music.

Speaking about the "most aggressive songs", I noticed that they are the uneven-numbered ones. Mostly of them contains fast parts, as "Snakes" (that has creative and nervous fast drum patterns) and, especially, the closing "Warhorse", undoubdtedly the most violent track in the EP and whose the band realized also a promotional video that you can watch below. Instead, the opening "End of My Rope" has a more punkish approach also thanks to some choruses, and it contains even a heavy breakdown.

Speaking about the "more melodic ones", I noticed that both the titletrack and "Rabbit Hole" (that features a very atmospheric part) are structurally fantastic due to well built climaxes. This also because of great guitar solos, that, curiously, are completely absent in the "most aggressive songs".

All in all, this "Awaken to a Different Sun" shows a really interesting modern metal sound with some apocalyptic tunes, so I strongly think that Mudface belongs, in terms of attitude and will to dare, to Art Gates Rec, always ready to support similar bands. Now, I am very curious to see what Mudface will produce because "Awaken to a Different Sun" promise creative things to come. But, in the meantime, I noticed that they are searching for a new drummer, so WAKE UP and offers YOURSELF to Mudface if you play the drums, right?

Tracklist:

1 - End of My Rope
2 - Awaken to a Different Sun
3 - Snakes
4 - Rabbit Hole
5 - Warhorse

Line-up:

Chris Dinsmore - vocals
Brett Crane - keyboards/vocals
Aaron McCoy - guitars
Jim Pegram - bass
Tim Davis - drums

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/mudfaceus
Art Gates Records: http://artgatesrecords.com/home/