Awaken I Am – “The Beauty In Tragedy” (Victory)
It only takes but a few minutes into The Beauty In Tragedy, the latest release from Awaken I Am, to
realize that this is going to be an emotional rollercoaster. Dedicated to late guitarist
Connor Verner-Oakley, who was tragically killed last year, The Beauty In Tragedy is an exhaustive effort in true catharsis,
five tracks of sonic grieving that begins with the blatant revenge track “Kin,”
clearly directed at those who caused Verner-Oakley’s death (‘it was the worst
of you that took the best from me, and now I’m left paying for your mistakes,
the life you took, we were a family, does it keep you up, I hope that there’s
no peace,’ vocalist Jimmy Stevenson sings). It’s also fitting that “Dissolution,”
the last track the band ever recorded with their late guitarist, would stand
out among the album’s best. All the feels come flooding back on the massive
“Indifference,” which features a soaring hook that literally jumps off the
record. The Beauty In Tragedy is
aptly closed by a track entitled “The Stages of Grief,” a pained anthem of the
band’s new normal in the wake Verner-Oakley’s passing, which will literally
bring a tear to your eye (‘does it get easier, I guess I’ve never lost someone
that made me feel so whole’…‘can I find my place in a world that you’re not
in’…‘what I wouldn’t give for me to take his place’…‘I can’t hear but I know
you’re there, giving me strength to stand’…‘for you we’ll see this through til
the end’…). The Beauty In Tragedy is
more than just a tribute to Verner-Oakley, it’s a collective emotional release
for anyone who has ever lost a loved one. And perhaps, just perhaps, this album
is the true beauty to come from the band’s tragedy.
Go Download: “Kin”
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