The last decade gave life to a lot of bands, which managed to become popular in a short period of time and, obviously, to turn into someone else’s influence. In this case we mean bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold, which built a bridge between the 80s’ heavy metal and the XXI century. These are the exact artists NeverWake got inspired by – their debut and so as their second LP we are talking about here is a proof they aim for the skies. Seeing the “Vitality” (2011)’s “Pulse” video was my first contact with their stuff. Listening to the rest of the album convinced me that these four guys definitely possess the potential to get big but still there’s a lot of work to be done. “Sleepwalker” (2013) sounds like NeverWake have grown on few centimetres – well, maybe thirteen songs are a bit more than necessary and some of them may seem a bit out of place, but the rest manage to compensate – obsessive guitar melodies, influenced by classical music, memorable refrains, metalcore breakdowns and a pinch theatricality compose the band’s formula. Their steps are quite methodical, though – without overestimating their skills and without making risky moves, they have a lot of space left to grow up. I can’t wait to hear their future third record, I must say.

7.5/10