It’s the year 2021 and Grunge is making a comeback! Eric Stangeland’s third album—his first for ToneMark Sounds—is a nice blend of Grunge, Hard Rock, and Metal. Titled Wake Up, the record is heavily influenced by the grunge sounds of the ‘90s, going for a fresh take on the beloved alternative subgenre. It isn’t so much a solo album as a dozen musicians contribute eclectic styles to the mix, similar to what Santana and Slash did on their solo albums with a plethora of guest singers/musicians. The end result is very rewarding.
Wake Up is first and foremost a very personal album, and a concept record at that. It’s introspective, dark, moody, and uplifting at the same time. Featuring both male and female vocalists, a wide variety of musical arrangements (even some rap thrown in for good measure), it’s also a platform for Eric to showcase his guitar chops and proficiency as a lyricist. The album is divided into two halves: the first half is heavier and louder, while the second half is quieter and moodier.
Things kick off with the gloomy “Sky Glazed Over”, featuring Jes Phipps on vocals. This tune has a great chugging riff throughout and is a perfect tone-setter for the album. “Falling Away” is faster and gloomier and has Mark Moots as guest vocalist, with Eric Stangeland scorching the earth with his fiery guitar. The third cut, “Head’s in a Fog”, has a cool Alice in Chains vibe and Gus Caba’s vocals are eerily reminiscent of Rob Zombie’s. It also features Stevi Cooper rapping to add some flavor to the tune. I really dig this song! Next up is “Don’t Make Me Go”, a very catchy alternative track sung by Katie Keller channeling Mother Love Bone, which is actually referenced in a spoken word part by Joy Stark in the latter section of the song. It’s followed up with “Not a Dream, Not Reality”, with Mark Earnest on vocals and a fine display of Eric doing a killer guitar solo. On to the mellower second half of the album, we have the dreamy “Gravity” with the lovely Lisa McQuiston taking over vocal duties. The slower tempo continues with “When Can I Leave?!”, a superb instrumental guitar track that I wish were longer. It segues into “No Matter What”, a standout song on this great album, a kind of a rock ballad, featuring another female vocalist in the talented Brittany Maggert. We go back to a heavier groove for “Holding Hands in Silence”, a solid rock song with terrific guitar play which has vocalist Mark Moots returning on the mic. The album comes to a close on a softer note with the acoustic “For You”, which incidentally is the only song on the record that Eric sings; it’s split with a brief, sort of hidden instrumental track titled “For Ed” which provides the perfect finishing touch to end this beautiful record.
Eric Stangeland’s Wake Up is an amazing collaborative effort from both a musical and lyrical standpoint. It showcases a broad array of sonic influences, predominantly grungy, that echo Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and ‘80s-inspired guitar solos, all the while presenting the listener with lyrics that will make you ponder and inspire you to keep fighting and moving forward if you’re going through hard times. After four spins so far, this record keeps getting better and better with every listen—a telltale sign of a fine album. This one’s a keeper, folks; show Eric some love and pick up a copy today!
Eric Stangeland’s Bandcamp page: https://ericstangeland.bandcamp.com/
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