Wake (For Today album)

Wake is the sixth and final studio album from For Today. Nuclear Blast released the album on October 2, 2015.

Wake
Studio album by
For Today
ReleasedOctober 2, 2015 (2015-10-02)
StudioGraphic Nature Audio, Belleville, NJ
GenreChristian metal,[1][2] metalcore[3]
Length36:55
44:35 (bonus tracks)
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerWill Putney
For Today chronology
Fight the Silence
(2014)		 Wake
(2015)

The album debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200, with around 7,000 copies sold the United States in its first week of release.[4] [5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[3]
Already Heard[6]
Christ Core9.3/10[7]
Cross Rhythms[2]
HM Magazine[8]
New Noise Magazine[9]
Metal.de7/10[10]
Metal Hammer6/10[11]
Outburn6/10[1]
Revival Media9/10[12]

Awarding the album four stars for About.com, Chad Bowar describes, "The album blends ferocious yells and dense riffs with melodic vocals and memorable choruses. They are tailor made for live shows, with both pit-inducing breakdowns and singalong parts. The songwriting is excellent, shifting tempos and intensities enough to avoid monotony, and even though they aren't reinventing the wheel, the execution is flawless."[3] Natasha Van Duser, giving the album four stars from New Noise Magazine, states, "New sonic directions are typically hard to uphold, but For Today transitions flawlessly with Wake creating one of the most brutal records they’ve released to date."[9]

Signaling in a nine out of ten review at Revival Media, Joshua Palmer responds, "Its ability to have the same gritty sound through its softer and harder sections gives it that edge over today's metalcore and shows they are not going anywhere anytime soon."[12] Phillip Noell, rating the album a 9.3 out of ten for Christ Core, says, "They deliver every time."[7] Ben Rickaby, awarding the album three and a half stars from HM Magazine, says, "Wake hits close to home, and, throughout the album, there’s a prevailing message of hope through looking to the cross."[8] Assigning the album a nine out of ten by Cross Rhythms, Rob Birtley recognizes, "It would be easy for the band to hide in a repetition of Christian platitudes, but Montgomery's skillful writing ably bridges the gap that both Christians and non-Christians can relate to to produce songs that are truly memorable."[2]

Rating the album a six out of ten at Outburn, Nathaniel Lay writes, "Wake falls short too often to leave a lasting impression. It's the weakest release the band has had in recent memory as a result. I'm only a fan of Immortal and Fight The Silence, and quite honestly my favorite band is Design The Skyline."[1] Luke Morton, indicating in a six out of ten review by Metal Hammer, says, "Despite the initial refreshing blasts, there are no obvious risks being taken. Yes, the music is high quality but it's all a bit too safe and wipe-clean. Clean vocals and crushing vocals break the monotony, but For Today are still searching for that diamond they're so close to."[11] Specifying in a three star review from Already Heard, Rob Fearnley replies, "Is ‘Wake’ a strong album? Absolutely, yes. Is it going to open them up to a wider audience? Probably not, but for die-hards of the genre there's certainly enough to be content with if not overly excited."[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."No Truth, No Sacrifice"4:07
2."Broken Lens"3:25
3."Forced into Fire"3:12
4."Deserter"4:16
5."Bitter Roots"3:27
6."Wasteland"2:49
7."Hopeless Ambition"3:13
8."Determination"4:10
9."Flooded Earth"4:54
10."Time and Tide"3:21
11."Two Brothers" (bonus track)4:12
12."Without You" (bonus track)3:29
Total length:44:35

Personnel

For Today

  • Mattie Montgomery - lead vocals
  • Ryan Leitru - lead guitar, clean vocals
  • Brandon Leitru - bass
  • David Puckett - drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Randy Leboeuf – piano arrangements on tracks: 5, 9

Production

  • Will Putney – producer, mixing, mastering
  • Will Putney – audio engineer
  • Randy LeBoeuf – audio engineer, additional engineering
  • Tom Smith Jr. – audio editing
  • Steve Seid – audio editing
  • Manny Muniz – audio editing
  • Jim Hughes (Northary) – layout
  • Jordan Butcher – additional artwork
  • Dave Quiggle – additional artwork

Chart performance
Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[13] 67
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[14] 3
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[15] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] 9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[17] 17
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References
  1. Lay, Nathaniel (October 1, 2015). "For Today - Wake". Outburn. p. 58. ISSN 1542-1309. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  2. Birtley, Rob (January 5, 2015). "Review: Wake - For Today". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  3. Bowar, Chad (October 2, 2015). "Heavy Metal Album Reviews: Week of October 2, 2015". About.com. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  4. "For Today has worst sales, chart debut since 2009". Lambgoat. October 14, 2015.
  5. "For Today". www.facebook.com.
  6. Fearnley, Rob (October 5, 2015). "Album Review: For Today - Wake". Already Heard. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  7. Noell, Phillip (October 14, 2015). "'Wake' Is An Impressive Metal Album". Christ Core. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  8. Rickaby, Ben (October 16, 2015). "For Today – Wake". HM Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  9. Van Duser, Natasha (October 8, 2015). "Album Review: For Today – 'Wake'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  10. Gelesen, Mal (October 2, 2015). "For Today - "Wake"". Metal.de (in German). Versus: Media UG. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  11. Morton, Luke (October 13, 2015). "For Today: Wake". Metal Hammer. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  12. Palmer, Joshua (September 29, 2015). "For Today: Wake (REVIEW)". Revival Media. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  13. "For Today Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  14. "For Today Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  15. "For Today Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  16. "For Today Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  17. "For Today Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
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