Awakening is the third album from San Franscisco’s Trauma since they put the band back in circulation in 2013 and their fourth overall. I really enjoyed their last one, As the World Dies, so I was happy when this one showed up. Bay Area thrash is what you’d expect and what you get from Trauma with all the sharp riffs, rolling drum fills and high-pitched wails you could want. It’s a more "typical" sounding thrash record than their last one and, as a result, I find it less engaging because I’ve heard hundreds of albums that sound similar. There’s nothing wrong with it while it is on, but it is less distinctive to my ears. I really enjoy the atmosphere of "End of Everything" with its slower tempo and Middle Eastern melodies, but while songs like "Meat," "Voodoo" and "Death Machine" are riff fests while on, they don’t leave the same lasting impression. If you live and breathe Bay Area thrash, it is going to be hard not to find a lot to like on Awakening as Trauma have the skills and the pedigree to do this music right; it’s just not as amazing as on the last album.
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