Thirteen years after Rest left us wandering through a gaping, sludge-ridden void, Arkansas’ sludge-metal shamans RWAKE have re-emerged—not as relics of a bygone era, but as an evolved force sharpened by silence, distance, and time. Their long-awaited sixth album, The Return Of Magik, is far more than a comeback; it’s a full-blown ritual. With it, RWAKE drags listeners back into the murky Arkansas swamps and then launches them beyond the atmosphere, into the furthest reaches of cosmic dread and esoteric mysticism. It is an emotionally gripping and sonically punishing journey that reaffirms their place among extreme metal’s most vital and idiosyncratic voices while pushing their sound into new, otherworldly domains.
From the opening moments of “You Swore We’d Always Be Together,” there’s an immediate sense of transformation. A shimmering, eerie acoustic melody slowly unravels before detonating into a crushing dirge—a staple of their recent live performances and the perfect reintroduction to the band’s evolving sound. Yes, the trademark dual-vocal assault is still intact—Chris Terry’s anguished roars clashing with Brittany Fugate’s throat-shredding screams—but there’s an added depth this time around. New lead guitarist Austin Sublett breathes fresh life into the RWAKE machine, his melodies carving sharp, angular lines through the band’s molten wall of distortion. His contributions are particularly electrifying on “With Stardust Flowers,” where nimble leads weave gracefully atop a foundation of glacial, doom-laden riffs.
The production, captured at East End Sounds in Hensley, Arkansas, feels equally deliberate and expansive. Every instrument is given breathing room, transforming the chaos into something intentional—at times even beautiful. RWAKE have always balanced heaviness with atmosphere, but The Return Of Magik elevates that balance into something transcendental.
Where the opener eases you in, the title track, “The Return Of Magik,” hurls you directly into the fire. Jeff Morgan’s earthquake drumming propels the song forward, underpinning a barrage of swamp-born riffage. Terry’s vocal performance toes the line between prophetic sermon and primal scream, lending the track an apocalyptic gravity that resonates across the album.
But the heart of The Return Of Magik lies in its sprawling centerpiece, “Distant Constellations And The Psychedelic Incarceration.” Clocking in at nearly twelve minutes, it’s a slow-burning odyssey that ebbs and flows between hypnotic Moog-driven ambience and gut-wrenching doom. The surprise appearance of Jim “Dandy” Mangrum (Black Oak Arkansas) in a cryptic spoken-word passage transforms the track into something even more hallucinatory and surreal—a perfect collision of Southern gothic storytelling and cosmic horror. It’s here that RWAKE’s dual identity feels most fully realized: one foot planted in the rich dirt of their homeland, the other stepping boldly into the stars.
Structurally, The Return Of Magik follows the band’s signature dynamic arc, layering moments of quiet introspection with cataclysmic crescendos. “In After Reverse” is a prime example, with its haunting folk-tinged guitar melodies eventually swallowed by towering waves of distortion and syncopated, suffocating rhythms. Fugate’s use of synth textures and ethereal clean vocals add an extra dimension to the band’s sonic palette, swirling through the mix like ghostly remnants of forgotten spells. The closing track, “Φ,” is a bleak and meditative comedown—a sea of reverberating drones and spectral melodies that leaves the listener suspended in the void, contemplating whatever ritual they’ve just survived.
Instrumentally, RWAKE has never sounded more cohesive or expansive. Morgan’s precise, punishing drumming underpins every tectonic shift, while bassist and noisemaker Reid Raley, along with guitarist John Judkins, provide a rich, immersive low end that’s as suffocating as it is hypnotic. Judkins’ lap and pedal steel work, alongside Sublett’s incendiary leads, stretch the band’s sound into wide-open territory. There’s a sense of maturity and focus here that only years of silence and reflection could have produced.
Visually, the album’s artwork by Loni Gillum of Minerva’s Menagerie captures the album’s thematic undercurrents of cosmic dread and existential reflection, pairing perfectly with the music’s spectral weight.
For longtime fans, this is unmistakably RWAKE—uncompromising, exploratory, and relentlessly evocative. Yet, The Return Of Magik feels like something more than just the next chapter. It’s a statement of endurance and evolution, a fearless reawakening that drags the band’s legacy into bold, uncharted territory. As RWAKE revels in the darkness, we’re left staring into the abyss, transfixed by its terrible beauty.
Thirteen years was a long time to wait. But with The Return Of Magik, the ritual has been fulfilled. The Magik has returned. And we can only hope it’s here to stay.
“The Return Of Magik is far more than a comeback; it’s a full-blown ritual, dragging listeners from Arkansas swamps into the furthest reaches of cosmic dread.”
“RWAKE has returned with an album that reaffirms their place in extreme music, while pushing their sound into a more expansive, otherworldly domain.”
Tracklist:
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You Swore We’d Always Be Together
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The Return Of Magik
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With Stardust Flowers
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Distant Constellations And The Psychedelic Incarceration
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In After Reverse
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Φ
“The Return of Magik” will be available on CD, LP, and digital formats.
Live Dates:
3/14/2025 – Eastside Bowl, Nashville, TN
3/15/2025 – Rev Room, Little Rock, AR (Record Release Show)
4/11/2025 – Bear’s, Shreveport, LA
4/12/2025 – Siberia, New Orleans, LA
RWAKE:
C.T. – vocals, words, theme
Reid – bass guitars, distortion
John – guitars, lap + pedal steel, 12-string bass
Austin – guitars
Brittany- energy peddler, keys, and a microphone
Jeff – drums, acoustic guitar, 12-string bass
FOR FANS OF:
Neurosis, Burning Witch, YOB, Pallbearer, Sleep, Amenra, Eyehategod, Dystopia, etc.
GENRES:
Psychedelic Sludge
Source: www.antiheromagazine.com
