SONG REVIEW: Dreaming Awake - "Chain Gang"
Dreaming Awake blends aspects of heavy metalcore with soaring melodies and textural ambience in “Chain Gang”
Written by JD Walker
There’s something truly remarkable to be said about a band whose main selling point is versatility. None are more versatile than Dreaming Awake, who seemingly channeled genres at will in their new single “Chain Gang”. The group blended aspects of metalcore, post-hardcore, progressive metal, and even bits of funk in their latest offering, keeping the listener engaged and constantly guess what direction the band might be going next.
The song starts off with a bang with soaring lead guitar complimented by a solid chugging rhythm and high energy vocals reminiscent of early Of Mice & Men. The song saw a paradigm shift when transitioning into the first verse, leveraging a more textural and ambient guitar sound. The song really didn’t pick one sound and stick with it which makes it all the more interesting to listen to - just as the listener starts to understand the vibe of the song, it changes. The group blends so many different influences for a sound that can only be described as if Dance Gavin Dance, Of Mice & Men, Underoath, and The Ongoing Concept came together in the same room and wrote a song together.
In addition to the incredibly unique songwriting, Dreaming Awake features a lineup of amazing musicians. Composed of Vaughn Bell and Jacob Olms on unclean and clean vocals respectively, Phil Lepisto and Frankie Presnar on guitar, and Andrew Demelo on drums, the Arizona-based band are driven to see just how far they can push their sound and bend genres. Bell’s vocals were reminiscent of Austin Carlisle or Jon Mess while Olms’ clean vocals were somewhere between Aaron Gillespie and Donovan Melero, creating an unimaginable vocal dynamic that works remarkably well.
Instrumentally, the guitars written and performed by Lepisto and Presnar were pristine. The 6-string strummers knew exactly what each section needed melodically and delivered flawlessly, while Demelo kept the grooves straight forward but wasn’t afraid to show his flair on fills. Overall, “Chain Gang” is a brilliant display of when unique songwriting meets expert musicianship.
Dreaming Awake are an impressive band to say the least - a band is only as strong as their weakest link, but the group seemingly doesn’t have one. “Chain Gang” serves as a great introduction to both the band and the respective genres that they play as a whole and sounds absolutely huge, yet intricate. Dreaming Awake will without a doubt generate a lot of attention with this single, and the alternative music fan base should be excited at the prospect of this band releasing more material in the future.