Review by Jack on March 24, 2003.

Kicking off with 'The Cat and the Snake,' everything points to that this is a record that is firmly planted in the shoes of sludge and stoner rock. You can't really get much material that is this gloomy and down-trodden.

Rwake have been kicking around the metal scene since 1996 gaining some notoriety through their work in the field, and since 1999 have managed to play twice at the Milwaukee Metal Fest attaining good reviews from folks the world over. "Hell is a Door to the Sun" is album number two for Rwake and from this reviewer's point of view it is a pretty decent listen.

Rwake are a band that any fan of the 'lesser' known areas of metal (hardcore, sludge, stone, doom and general kookiness) will get into as the opening riff starts up. The music generally (using that term loosely) floats around a doom/sludge stratosphere for the most part, but it is here where the normality stops. Vocalist CT is certainly schooled in the arts of hardcore/noisecore and brings a new element to the sounds of Rwake throughout "Hell is a Door to the Sun." There are some beautiful moments on "Hell is a Door to the Sun"; material you wouldn't really find on a stoner/sludge album. Which I guess brings me to my main point of why you want to look up Rwake; the acoustic moments, the smooth electronic ambience, the chaotic doom, the slower than slow sludge, the hardcore vocals. Everything you would expect to find in other circles of metal are inserted into the Rwake listening experience, making for a wholesome, yet ultimately unpredictable experience. One that I recommend.

Bottom Line: Rwake certainly cover a lot of varied material which will hopefully open up other bands in the sludge/stoner scene to a fresh take on things. "Hell is a Door to the Sun" is a record that is not afraid to knock on the door of fresh innovation and variation.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7.5
Originality: 8
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.9 out of 10