Questioning Our Birthright; A Review of Bloodline by Awake At Last
Dover based alt-rock band Awake At Last has returned with a new single Bloodline out April 29th. Produced by Erik Ron (Godsmack, Black Veil Brides, I Prevail), the intense and forthright track contains plenty of hard hitting questions and a deeper look at the current state of the world and human interaction.
We make the same mistakes
Till we bend and break.
Is it all in our bloodline?
Or is it failure by design?
-Vincent Torres from Awake At Last
Bloodline immediately demands your attention as it comes in with a driving, chugging distorted electric guitar and lead singer Vincent Torres singing the gripping lyrics, ‘We make the same mistakes, till we bend and break. Is it all in our bloodline? Or is it failure by design?’ This sets the tone of deep self-reflection and acceptance that humans haven’t always been the best to each other. Themes of frustration, angst and a reluctance to accept the current state we all live in weave in and out of synths, digital sounds, and metal guitar playing, summoning post-apocalyptic feelings.
We are so vulnerable our lives are digital
It's plain to see that we've forgotten how to use our senses
They watch us from the sky too scared to ask them why
We're giving up and giving in we never read between the lines
-Vincent Torres from Awake At Last
The song questions mainstream media and how society accepts whatever media feeds it to be truth, instead of being a place to start one’s own research, forming their own opinion based on facts and not bias. Vincent is asking us to open our eyes to the numbness we’ve allowed in our cushy digital world and see that our glorification of individualism has created division where there was once community. Layers of guitar and steady snare keep you on the edge of your seat as verse after verse of honest, exhiltering and sometimes unnerving lyrics hit you in waves.
I'm hoping I can find a way to sleep tonight
Manifest a different world inside my mind
Destroy and create my thoughts my fate
The world has changed. Are we too late?
-Vincent Torres from Awake At Last
Although the track can conjure feelings of disparity and doom, Awake At Last has always stood for positivity, spirituality, self-help, and making an impact every single day, leading long time listeners to feel more rallied than relinquished. It’s easy to imagine this as their declaration to invoke unity, change and taking responsibility in creating a better future for ourselves and the communities around us.
Official Music video for ‘Bloodline’ written and performed by Awake At Last
