By Wake Up Call

Released Feb. 28, 2006

Tracklist

1. Friends/Foes
2. Losing It
3. One Eye Open
4. Under Their Control
5. Outro (Wake Up)
6. Avoiding The Storm
7. Intro/About To Be Bought *
8. Know Your Limits *
9. Who The Fuck *
10. Big Shots *
11. It Ain't Worth It *

PunkRocks.net

It's like '88 all over again; the sweat is pouring, the pit is swirling and X marks the spot on the back of a well-worn hand. Not sure if Think Fast is a straight-edge label or not; frankly I don't really give a shit. But Wake Up Call...Now they are something that matters. Great no-nonsense HC with a Revelation circa '88 sound, 'One Eye Open' is a full frontal assault on the genre of yore. Their album info references Warzone and Underdog; not too far from the tree I say, though I think the vocals have a taste of So. Cal harmony to them. Best of both world, damn them. Great "Outro"; a doom-laden swath of "Wake the fuck up" yammering that whipped my ass out of the chair and into a low-pit crouch. "Under Their Control" (with a great "get some common fuckin' sense" kind of spoken-word breakdown) is top shelf. And the melodic progressions of "Avoiding the Storm" are head-bobbing material in their own right. Splitting 6 new tracks with 5 demo tracks from '04, 'One Eye Open' is a short affair. Hot production on both levels make this baby pump smooth to the end. And don't think the demo shit is anything sub-par; "Know Your Limits" sounds like early L.A. and "Big Shots" just plain throttles with raw aggression (nice bass riff). All in all, this is a ripper and an ultimately rewarding, though sadly short, blast of hardcore done right. Raw, powerful and full of conviction, Wake Up Call are surely a band worth catching should they stumble into your neck of the woods. Fans of Indecision, old Revelation and early Victory take note. Some hot shit here, and a big plus in the play book for the folks at Think Fast Records. Killer.

Smother.net

Maine hardcore? I hadn’t heard much from that scene in ages. But now Wake Up Call is here to change all of that with their old school hardcore sound. Taking a cue from Warzone or Undertow, Wake Up Call brandishes traditional breakdowns, circle pit heaviness, and great singalongs. With bands like Comeback Kid making hardcore kids remember the good ole days, Wake Up Call is a fresh and poignant look back at what started it all. I know I’m being all revisionist here but I’m telling you, the hardcore scene has become saturated with pretenders lately and bands that couldn’t name a single Youth of Today song, so it’s awesome to hear a band that brings us back so well.

SicZine.com

Here we go, here we go, another straight ahead hardcore effort from Maine, following on the heels of their native Maine brothers, On The Outside (Thorp Records), who recently released their full length not too far back. This CDEP includes six new jams with their 5 song 2005 demo, which got a nice re-mastered touch. These guys have the 88' Revelation Records sound down pact, you can definitely hear the Underdog influence seeping through their sound. They play it short and sweet, with no filler necessary. Out of the 11 tracks herein, only one breaks the 2 minute mark, some songs get close to 2 minutes while others rage short of a minute. These guys aren’t trying to reinvent the book, rather they throw in a few plays of their own. They opt to use a bare bones framework making sure to throw in plenty of sped up verses, plenty of gang shouts and strong use of soaring solo leads. The singer definitely has that old school bounce to his voice, most notably on the demo part of the album. While musically I would prefer the 6 new tracks to the demo, vocally, however I really dug the demo. For what ever reason when I was listening to the closing track, "It Ain’t Worth It" at about the 1:12 break, it was like I was listening to CIV’s big brother singing, it sent chills down my spine. Either way this guy nails everything he shouts on, the spoken part in the Wake Up outro is like some straight Judge type shit. I wish half the bands today paying homage to the old school brand of hardcore had a singer like this guy. Now in regards to the production aspects of the release, it is about as good as it gets for this type of music. It walks the line between a raw late 80's sound with the advantages of modern day recording. The feedback and ringing out of the intro leads sounds fucking good as shit. The artwork definitely enhances this release, it’s some nasty shit actually. It’s got a disfigured cartoon dude getting his eyelid bitten and pulled on by a rat while his rat buddy feasts on his scalp and brain, by the time you get to the back cover the rats have pretty much devoured all but the guys one eye. The colors are dark, bold and earthly, much more fitting than if it was some happy colorful rats. 4/5

NeoHC.com

I have been stoked about this band ever since I got their demo cassette March of last year. I have gotten to see them in Athens and it was a good time. Wake Up Call is an exciting and promising band coming from Maine. Maine seems to be putting out a good amount of hardcore bands recently (Outbreak, On The Outside, Cruel Hand) even if two of them also have members of Outbreak. I was stoked when I heard they joined Think Fast Records and was stoked when I got it. After hearing the song they have on Think fast’s website I knew it would be good. It didn’t disappoint. They follow an old school feel but turning it into a sound they can call their own. Containing plenty of sweet bass solos and sick guitar solo hooks, and sing alongs to keep you listening. Aaron Billion’s vocals don’t sound like every other singer which also helps give them a original sound. His vocals have been compared to bands like Warzone and Underdog. Wake Up Call doesn’t just have songs about hardcore. They have songs about stuck up people, not being held down by the man, and how people are brainwashed by the system. Which makes them stick out cause how many hardcore bands sing about getting brainwashed by the system? He also has some sweet lyrics. Also on the CD version is Wake Up Call’s demo. So anybody who got the demo finally has the songs on CD. This band just makes me want to listen to more. This debut in my mind is an amazing debut release. It is real catchy. I’m looking to hear more from them in the future. Artwork by Agenda Suicide (Comeback Kid and No Warning)