2009
08.23
08.23
Format: CD
Release Date: 21.09.2008
Country: Finland
Genre: Avantgarde Doom Death
The first LP album of this young Finnish doom death band, with a line-up consisting of musicians who have played in lot of projects and bands, performing music from heavy and power metal to black and death! This work of Astral Sleep draw apart the frames of doom and death metal, in the tradition of Unholy and Umbra Nihil. “Unawakening” is addressed not only to the listeners of the genre, but also to people who search for new music and fresh sensations.
Tracklist:
1. End Of Ages
2. Cosmic Key
3. Expression
4. Distant Dreams
5. Away From The World
Review
The Metal Observer
8/10
16.05.2009
ASTRAL SLEEP’s debut full-length, “Unawakening”, offers up five massive pieces of Metal melancholy, within the genre of Doom Metal. This album however, has more in general with Death/Doom, such as MY DYING BRIDE or NOVEMBERS DOOM. Perhaps what is most interesting about “Unawakening”, is its use of harmonized lines, and production, as well as acoustic interludes, which give it an incredibly similar feel to early OPETH, specifically “Morningside”, as well as slower Viking/Pagan Metal that focuses on melody.
Overall, ASTRAL SLEEP keeps things interesting by mixing up more typical Doom riffs as well as the aforementioned harmonized melodies as well as acoustic interludes. The song structures definitely function in a typically progressive nature, as the album is over an hour in length in only five songs. Special mention must be made to the great vocals, which are particularly guttural and are just generally well placed wand well done.
At the end of the day, ASTRAL SLEEP’s debut full-length works as a great beginning, but often has trouble distancing itself from already created works, especially OPETH’s “Morningside”, which one can’t help but feeling reminded of, and it can be difficult to stay fully engaged throughout the entire album. However, the songs are well constructed and there are some fantastic ideas, specifically within the second track “Cosmic Key”, which help the album to be a generally engaging and promising debut.
Author: Brodie
Review
Kronos Mortus
8/10
28.01.2009
Mostanában egyre gyakrabban van olyan borús, magába fordulós idő odakinn, mely ideális az olyan zenékhez, mint amilyet a finn illetőségű Astral Sleep játszik. S mint hogy jómagam is gyakran vagyok ehhez a zenéhez megfelelő hangulatban – főleg a statisztikák által megállapított „év legborultabb napján”, azaz január 21-én – feltettem lemezjátszómba az Unawakening albumot. Egyre inkább kezdek nyitni a doom műfaj felé, ezért ezzel a lemezzel kapcsolatban is voltak bizonyos elvárásaim. Konkrétan sötét, borult hangulatot vártam, mely igazán kifejezi az átlagember érzésvilágát a Karácsonyt követő holt időszakban, némi gazdasági válsággal tetézve. És nem kellett csalódnom.
Ez az a fajta lemez, melyet fölösleges lenne számonként kielemezni, lényegében az egész album egyetlen sötét, borús, depresszív masszává folyik össze, nem túl sok eltéréssel az egyes dalok között. Be kell tudni fogadni, amely személy szerint nekem viszonylag könnyen ment, de ez persze teljesen hangulattól függ. Odakinn az eső, a köd, a hideg, mind-mind segíti ennek a zenének a befogadását, természetesen az igazi januári hangulattal fűszerezve. Már a nyitó nóta is baljóslatúan kezdődik, és ez a későbbiek során még inkább borúsabbá, sötétebbé válik.
Az öt nótában hallhatunk suttogást, nyers, mély hörgést, tisztán hangzó mély éneket, különféle zörejeket, zajokat, beteges sikolyokat, de még sirályvijjogást és lágy tengerzúgást is. A gitár hol nyugisan, lágyan, akusztikusan szól, hol pedig nyersen és súlyosan megdörrenve. Ebből a kiábrándítóan rideg, sötét világból nincs menekvés: könyörtelenül magával ránt és nem ereszt. Kétségbeesetten döbbent rá a kemény valóságra: az ember eltávolodott a természettől, gépeket hoz létre, melyek ugyan az ember által megjavíthatóak, ám ha maga az ember vész el, azt már csak a mindenható Természet élesztheti újjá. Az álmok világa sem feltétlenül hoz megnyugvást, nem biztos, hogy utunkon oda érkezünk, ahová elindultunk.
A finn zenészek kivételesen sötét anyagok alkottak, mely sűrű masszaként ragad a hallgató agyába, felnyitja a szemét azokra a dolgokra, melyek fölött az áltag ember könnyen elsiklik. Hallgassuk meg ezt a lemezt, ha kellőképp felkészültünk erre a hangulatra, és garantált, hogy január 21-e nem csupán egy napig, de örökkön örökké tartani fog, míg a sötét álmok fogva tartanak minket.
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ENGLISH VERSION:
Nowdays there’s been a kind of weather outside that is perfect for listenning to such music that Finnish Astral Sleep plays, grey and gloomy. And as I’ve also been in such a mood myself lately – especially on the „most depressing day of the year”, the 21st January – I put Unawakening to play in my recorder. Lately I’ve been more into doom, so I had expections related to this album. I expected dark, gloomy atmosphere, which is truly expressing humans’ mood around this dead period of the year after Christmas, with a little bit of economical crisis too. And I didn’t get disappointed.
This is the type of album that should not be described song by song, the whole album is a mass of darkness and depression, with not much of difference between each songs. One must accept it, for me it was rather easy this time but it really depends on mood. Outside, there’s rain, fog and cold, and they all help to accept this music, with a flavour of real January atmosphere. Even the first song starts in a depressive way and later on it turns even more like that, darker and gloomy.
In the five songs we can hear whispering, raw, deep growling, deep clean vocals, different noises, voices, sick screams and even seagulls and soft sea sounds. The guitar is both soft and hard at certain parts. There’s no escape from this cold and dark world: once it captures, it no longer releases. It shows the hard reality: humans got really far from nature, they create machines that can of course be repaired by them, but if the humans themselves get lost, they can only be brought back to life by Nature. The world of dreams does not necessarily bring peace, there’s no guarantee that we arrive to the destination we wanted to.
The Finnish musicians created something really dark, sticked into the listener’s mind, getting the eyes opened to things that humans mostly don’t pay attention to. Listen to this album if we’re prepared enough, and then it’ll make sure that the 21st January is everlasting, until the dark dreams keep us in slavery.
Author: Lemezismertetők
Review
Fobia Zine
8/10
03.07.2009
Severští snílkové ASTRAL SLEEP jsou pro mne v poslední době rozhodně nejbizarnějším objevem na poli funeral doomové scény. Tato poměrně mladá a charismatická grupa z finského Tampere má jářku něco do sebe! Po čtyřech letech od započetí existence kapely konečně vyšla první řadová, dlouho připravovaná, deska „Unawakening“. A vida, tohle zadoomané čekání se vskutku vyplatilo!
Na kotoučku najdeme pět kvalitně komponovaných skladeb s magickými stopážemi kolem silné čtvrthodinky. Textové motivy bloudí kdesi v surrealistických snových dimenzích a jsou ztvárněny v ultrapomalém tempu hnilobného funeral doomu. Jak jsem už v úvodu předestřela, co do hudební bizarnosti kapely hlavně přidává barvitá paleta kytarových vyhrávek, kterých je deska více než plná. Hutné riffy se táhnou v monotónním tempu a bassová linka spolu s nimi tone ve fádním duchu. Mohutný celek je nakonec probarven melodickými sóly, leckdy až progresivních rozměrů, která jsou do kontextu zařazena naprosto nenásilně a přirozeně. Přímo psychedelických výkonů ASTRAL SLEEP dosahují s pomocí silných atmosférických efektů a plynulého střídání nálad. Zajímavým úkazem je také stylová členitost desky aneb od doomu s hutným growlem, přes progresivní sóla, až po folk s akustickou kytarou, harmonikou a čistým vokálem. Skvěle komponovaný a hlavně nenucený hudební mišmaš!
„Unawakening“ je pro mne exkurzí do severského bizarního undergroundu, který potěší nejen zanícené fanoušky funeral doomové scény, ale díky své stylové rozpolcenosti zaujme určitě širší část publika. O skvělé propracovanosti skladeb nemluvě! U mě mají AS zkrátka zelenou!
Author: Michelleta
Review
Hardsounds
7.3/10
27.03.2009
Dalla Finlandia ecco un nuovo gruppo propostici dall’attivissima Solitude Productions. Gli Astral Sleep suonano quello che erroneamente potrebbe venir classificato come funeral doom, per via dei tempi ultralenti, voce gutturale e senso di claustrofobia e negatività totale. Invece le cose non stanno esattamente così. Ad un ascolto più approfondito e ragionato appare chiaro che i cinque ragazzi provenienti dal paese dei 1000 laghi hanno ben altro da offrire musicalmente parlando e se è vero che la componente principale del sound degli Astral Sleep è funeral doom, vi è anche qualcos’altro. Si tratta del doom rock anni ’70 (scusatemi ma non riesco a definire metal un gruppo coi calzoni a zampa e le camice sbottonate col pelo in bella vista…) alla Black Sabbath o Pentagram e sebbene questa sia solo un’influenza “d’atmosfera” piuttosto che (fortunatamente) tecnica, specialmente la canzone “Expression” dà una forte prova dell’amore dei nostri per la musica di quel periodo. E’ possibile ascoltare un cantato pulito lamentoso e addirittura un’armonica a farla quasi da padrona. A parte questa canzone nella quale questo amore per quel tipo defunto di musica è palese, in generale tutto ‘Unawakening’ si pone come un’interessante dualismo fra la violenza moderna e funerea e la malinconia psicotica e martellante antica.
Registrato tecnicamente bene, l’unica pecca è l’artwork, decisamente pacchiano e troppo “acido” per un disco di questi tempi.
Author: Gabriele “Anaconda” Frontini
Review
Friendhof
7.25/10
27.03.2009
Nos encontramos ante una banda de Doom llegada nuevamente de tierras nórdicas bajo uno de los sellos especializados en el metal más pesado, Solitude Productions.
En el caso de Astral Sleep estamos ante su mejor obra. Una muestra de evolución de un sonido primigenio y bastante arcaico en sus origenes. Un lavado de cara del Doom Death con algunos toques de Funeral de sus primeros pasos, para llegar a este Doom de numerosas caras y con varias influencias, un estilo que roza en momentos el Avantgarde. Eso sí, todos los toques novedosos están siempre tratados desde el prisma de un apasionado del universo de la lentitud.
Los nuevos matices se centran en añadir un caracter melódico unas veces y ambiental y ténue en otras. También el trabajo vocal se ha visto afectado, en donde florecen nuevos registros diferenciados al propiamente cavernoso del Doom Death más funerario,registro, que sigue muy presente en esta obra. Las estructuras de las canciones han variado bastante a las del pasado y se ha conseguido enriquecer mucho la composición de los temas gracias a estos aportes.
Me han recordado a un híbrido de Umbra Nihil con el Funeral de Mournful Congregation, dos pesos pesados de la escena Doom internacional. También han surgido en mi cabeza nombres como Unholy o los Funeral más ancestrales, en todo caso Astral Sleep han conseguido un sonido bastante propio, gracias a la suma de otras influencias. De todas formas deberán trabajar en un futuro sobre esta base para conseguir pulir aspectos como el de la batería y las voces, para alcanzar el nivel de las bandas anteriormente mencionadas y aportarnos novedosas horas de extrema y dulce pesadez.
Author: Iván C
Review
metal.de
7/10
01.02.2009
Meine Herren, ist das zäh was die Finnen von ASTRAL SLEEP auf ihrem Debütalbum “Unawakening“ zelebrieren. Das ist auch schon das richtige Stichwort. Die Jungs um Gitarrist/Sänger Markus Heinonen zelebrieren den Doom-Metal, den sie spielen nach allen Regeln der Kunst. Die fünf Songs auf dem Debütalbum (von denen lediglich einer unter zehn Minuten lang ist) sind dickflüssig wie Lava und bahnen sich ihren Weg in die Gehörgänge auf eine extrem langsame Art und Weise.
Dabei erstrecken sich die Einflüsse von ASTRAL SLEEP von BLACK SABBATH (logisch) über BATHORY und leicht psychedelische Farbtupfer bis hin zu altem US-Death-Metal. Das trifft vor allem auf die Vocals von Markus Heinonen zu. Über weite Strecken growlt der Mann passend zu den Kompositionen. Wenn er aber anfängt clean zu singen, passt das hinten und vorne nicht. Aus dem einfachen Grund, weil Heinonen es schlichtweg nicht schafft, die Töne zu treffen. Gleiches gilt für die hohen Schreie in “Expression“ beispielsweise. Das ist aber nur ein kleiner Kritikpunkt, denn daran kann man arbeiten. Viel wichtiger sind auch eher die Kompositionen als Ganzes und die sind wirklich gut. Von den dezent eingesetzten Keyboardteppichen im Hintergrund bis hin zu den stimmigen Gitarrenmelodien stimmt in den Songs alles.
Auch für Überraschungen ist in den ellenlangen Songs gesorgt worden. So vernimmt man genrefremde Instrumente wie die Mundharmonika, was dem Bandsound natürlich zusätzliche Nuancen beschert. Der plötzlich aus dem Nichts explodierende Up-Tempo-Part in “Cosmic Key“ ist auch ein gutes Beispiel für die wohldurchdachten Songs des finnischen Kleeblatts. Das unterstreicht auch das gekonnte Spielen mit den auf der Platte vertretenen Stimmungen. Die sowieso schon vorherrschende melancholische Grundstimmung wird beim, die Platte abschließenden, “Away From The World“ immer düsterer, bis sie gegen Ende des Songs beinahe erdrückend depressiv ist, ja fast schon misanthropische Züge hat.
Vom Gesang abgesehen (dafür gibt es natürlich Punktabzug), ist ASTRAL SLEEP ein starkes, düsteres Debütalbum gelungen, das dem geneigten Doom-Fan zusagen dürfte (wenn man nicht gerade CANDLEMASS-artige Melodien erwartet). Ein gutes Album um einen tristen Tag noch etwas trister zu machen. Sieben wohlverdiente Punkte mit Tendenz nach oben.
Author: Colin
Review
Metalcrypt
4/5
07.06.2009
Astral Sleep are a Finnish band making their debut on Solitude Productions, a label which has gone nuts signing every obscure Doom band they can find. Astral Sleep are, thankfully, one of their good discoveries. I was expecting something more funeral and extreme, but really this is a more eclectic band than that.
Astral Sleep start with a slow and melodic basis not too far removed from bands like My Dying Bride or November’s Doom’s older albums. This has elements I associate with Doom/Death, but it’s not just that. They also throw in some Funeral Doom-style drone, some good clean singing, and often a very retro Doom-riff vibe that recalls Sabbath along with some fine leadwork. The whole does not come out sounding like an imitation off any one band or subgenre, but instead is a refreshing sound that is all the more interesting because you never know where they will go next. Hell, they even pull out a frigging harmonica a few times and actually make it work. The style is a bit disjointed in places, and does not create as much atmosphere as maybe it could have, but Unawakening is still a highly entertaining listen for fans of Doom.
Author: Sargon the Terrible
Review
Cryptic Madness
5/6
Ce qui frappe, ce sont d’abord les nombreux motifs mélodiques riches et variés qui s’articulent sans temps mort et toujours la force émotionnelle du saint Doom qui dispense sa parole sévère et sème les graines de l’amertume et de la défiance.
Astral Sleep est un groupe difficile à saisir ; il m’en a fallu des écoutes pour trancher : est-ce génial ou ridicule ? Un groupe sincère qui embrasserait les thèmes (rythmiques et narratifs) propres au Doom avec toute la force de conviction qui distingue les meilleurs ? Ou une bande de farfelus, presque un pathétique exemplaire d’assistés sociaux, des mongoliens qui découvrirait le plaisir d’écraser les cordes d’une guitare, de beugler dans un micro et de fracasser les tambours de la batterie ?
Oui, il m’a fallu du temps pour choisir la première option. Astral Sleep délivre avec Unawakening un grand album, riche et varié, empreint de l’authentique mélancolie, traversé des justes pulsations qui fait un vrai album de Doom.
La musique de Astral Sleep peut se rapprocher de celle de Aarni de Umbra Nihil, de Ordog aussi ; c’est du Doom Death âpre et mélodique à la fois. Mais ils n’hésitent pas a jeter leur tripes dans la bataille et ça donne, à côté de belles lignes entêtantes de guitares (lead et rythmique sont excellentes et remarquablement complémentaires), d’une section basse-batterie pesante et totalement Doom, écrasante et menaçante, ça donne aussi donc, des extravagances vocales : éructations growlées, hurlements de loup-garou, délires qui prêtent à rire, mais c’est un rire de jubilation, et puis aussi des emballements déments à la batterie, des explosions psychotiques qui semblent juste guidées par le plaisir de jouer, l’excitation brute. Ca, c’est totalement jouissif !
On passe alors de moments abrasifs, plombés et rampants à des illuminations presque blues rock, du ressac des vagues et du cri des mouettes à des lignes de guitare folk triste et douillette, à des plaintes de suppliciés, à des mélodies à l’accordéon, au bip du sonar d’un sous-marin… c’est…stupéfiant !
Il faut souligner le travail de la lead guitare, toujours très mélodique et inspirée et l’intelligence des sauts rythmiques qui font de chaque morceaux un voyage surprenant et excitant. Et un sacré plaisir de jouer. Curieux, mais ça se ressent, une espèce d’animalité, un côté : « allez, merde ! on y va ! », ce qu’on appelle le FEELING.
Ruez-vous sur cet album. Il y a, en définitive, du génie dedans.
Author: baphomet
Review
Quintessence
4/6
“Unawakening” is the debut album from Astral Sleep. This band plays heavy and slow doom/death with some elements of funeral doom. Due to the fact that the members of the band have a lot of different influences, you can hear some additional parts, outside the doom metal shoebox, too. Because of this, you can compare this band with bands like Aarni or Umbra Nihil.
“Unawakening” contains five tracks and tells the story of a transformation and falling into some kind of coma. The song ‘End Of Ages’ starts very easy and during the first 5 minutes you hear some mellow sounds and then the riffs take it all over. It’s a good song with varied vocals, both clean and grunts. The clean vocals need improvement though. That’s definitely a weak point. The song ‘Expression’ contains also the clean vocals and this puts the quality of the track down. This is really a pity. On ‘Cosmic Key’ you don’t hear any clean vocals. This song is very dark and heavy and doesn’t repeat itself. It ends with a fine, NWOBHM orientated, double guitar riff.
“Unawakening” has become a fine debut with some interesting tracks. The only point of critic I have is that they must focus on the clean vocals, as they are very weak. But besides that, there isn’t much to complain about. So when you’re into the more extreme sound of doom, I advice you to check this one out.
Author: Andre Groeneveld
Review
Metalrage
6.1/10
22.04.2009
Astral Sleep is a doom/death-metal band that tries to put experimental elements and influences in their sound. The base is solid, heavy but simple doom/death-metal in the vein of Winter, Reverend Bizarre and (old) Paradise Lost. In the progress of the album we hear their singer Markus, using his voice in all kinds of ways; low deep grunt, chanting voice and even an occasional power-metal voice (which sound like he’s killing a cat). The use of style-strange instruments like a harmonica and the use of strange samples, gives this band a sound that is sometimes hard to place.
Not everything works in their advance, but sometimes it gives them the necessary original own identity the band needs. Especially the deep, low grunt of Markus is one of the strongest points. Also the use of odd keyboard and sampling effects work in their advance. The simple doom/death-metal base, that carries the songs, could use a bit more attention. When the structures of the songs are worked out a bit better, this album would be fucking killer!
The highlight of the album is the song ‘Expression’. This song contains samples of sea and birds and an acoustic guitar intro, which slowly evolves into a dirty heavy, doom song. The usage of the harmonica gives the song a strange but pleasant feel. It almost sounds like they tried to make a doom-version of a “cumbahya” campfire song.
Astral Sleep is a decent doom/death-metal band, which dares to be different in some ways. Unfortunately I think the band needs to focus a bit more on their song writing, but I’m confident enough that this band will evolve them for the better.
Author: RoyBalowski
Review
Shapeless Zine
6/10
April 2009
Gli Astral Sleep provengono da Tampere, in Finlandia, dove si sono formati nel 2004. Hanno esordito su demo l’anno successivo, con un due tracce intitolato come il gruppo. “Astral Sleep” и stato poi ristampato nel 2006 dalla Bubonic Doom, come una musicassetta limitata a 150 esemplari. A differenziare questa uscita dal demo, l’aggiunta di un’introduzione e di una coda.
Sempre nel 2006, gli Astral Sleep sono entrati nello studio Alkemene per registrare il loro primo disco ufficiale. Le sessioni di registrazione hanno abbracciato anche il 2007, ma una volta completato il prodotto, la band ha dovuto aspettare poco prima di essere contattata da un’etichetta. E che etichetta! Per gli amanti del doom, entrare a far parte della Solitude puт considerarsi un grandissimo onore. Nel corso degli anni, infatti, la Solitude ha messo d’accordo tutti sulla qualitа del suo operato, grazie ad un fiuto da segugio nello scovare gruppi poco conosciuti, ma di gran valore.
“Unawakening” и il titolo dell’album d’esordio di questi finlandesi. La copertina, dai colori scuri e malsani, raffigura una figura mostruosa, che tiene in mano una oggetto circolare con un occhio in mezzo. I tratti con i quali la copertina и disegnata sono a metа strada tra il visionario e l’horror di serie B. Nel libretto di dodici pagine, tutte a colori, troviamo i testi, alcune foto di paesaggi naturali o ritraenti strani individui, e varie informazioni relative al gruppo o alla registrazione. Ci sono anche delle frasi isolate: “Vivere uno stato mentale simile… и come una droga vellutata” e “Questo pezzo di Mostruositа Heavy Metal Doom vi fotterа il cervello un milione di volte!!!”. Insomma, con le immagini e con le parole, gli Astral Sleep sembrano flirtare con vari stati d’animo visionari e psichedelici, e parte di questa attitudine и riflessa anche dalla musica.
I musicisti che hanno dato vita a questo lavoro sono Markus Heinonen (chitarra, voce e sintetizzatori), Rolle Heinonen (chitarra), Jaakko Oksanen (basso) e Tommy Häyrynen (batteria). Sia Markus che Jaakko hanno suonato in passato con i Division Of The Spoils, ma attualmente il primo suona anche negli Hypothermia e nei Night Of Suicide, mentre Jaakko presta i suoi servizi ai Mystic Opera ed ai Sightless. Tommy и invece attivo negli Hypothermia (assieme a Markus) e nei Diessence, ed ha abbandonato attualmente gli Astral Sleep. Al suo posto и arrivato Jiri Pyörälä, giа nei Serethe.
I 65 minuti di durata di “Unawakening” sono suddivisi in cinque tracce, delle quali la piщ corta dura sette minuti, la piщ lunga quindici. Si passa da un doom funereo e distruttivo, ad un doom dal volto piщ umano, legato alle atmosfere doom/death dei primi anni ’90, con spunti del gotico piщ pesante ed opprimente. Apparentemente, la musica degli Astral Sleep sembra piщ leggera di quella proposta da altri gruppi legati alla Solitude, ma l’ascolto di “Unawakening” nella sua interezza и difficile e complesso, proprio perchи le canzoni sono interminabili. Immagino giа che il lettore avrа storto il naso, leggendo questa mia affermazione. Ma, in caso aveste letto altre mie recensioni relative al genere in questione, sapreste bene che i minutaggi eterni e le ritmiche lentissime non mi hanno mai spaventato. E infatti non mi spaventano. Perт pretendo che la musica proposta sia buona ed impeccabile. Amo essere trasportato con la mente in luoghi oscuri, siano essi di sogno o d’incubo. E voglio che la mia mente sia tutta travolta dal potere evocativo del doom piщ estremo. Non voglio perт che elementi stridenti o brutture interrompano questo mio viaggio. Non c’и cosa piщ irritante. Ecco, gli Astral Sleep sanno suonare e pure bene, la registrazione и ottima, la potenza и quella giusta ed il potenziale evocativo c’и… e quando la magia sembra prendere vita, ecco l’elemento fuori posto, ecco lo sfregio su una tela sublime! Mi riferisco, in primo luogo, ai vocalizzi puliti di Markus: orribili. Quando interpreta la melodia con toni sommessi, il cantante svolge il proprio ruolo con perizia, e non fa rimpiangere il gutturale, che comunque occupa gran parte della durata del CD (per fortuna). Quando perт Markus aumenta il volume della voce, quando prova a toccare le note piщ alte, quando (i momenti peggiori) tenta di interpretare la melodia con un piglio epico, ecco che la musica degli Astral Sleep crolla su sи stessa, la magia si disperde e si resta innervositi ed arrabbiati come in seguito ad un cattivo risveglio! Non и possibile che un gruppo voglia esordire su full-length registrando dei vocalizzi puliti cosм imbarazzanti: talvolta ci sono delle stonature, ma il piщ delle volte il timbro и incerto, traballante e… via, ridicolo. Mi spiace scrivere queste parole, mi spiace davvero. Perт c’и una contrapposizione netta tra le parti piщ tradizionalmente doom/death, e quelle piщ gotiche e melodiche. Gli Astral Sleep suonano bene, e non peggio dei tanti gruppi notevoli accasati presso la Solitude. Perт, dannazione, quei vocalizzi puliti non ci stanno proprio. Non in senso assoluto, questo no. E’ il modo di cantare del cantante che rovina tutto. A questo punto, visto che il danno и fatto, occorrerebbe che i finlandesi reclutassero un secondo cantante, dal timbro migliore e dalla tecnica sicura, capace di interpretare quei passaggi al meglio. E lasciare Markus nelle sezioni in gutturale, per le quali и molto portato. Mi chiedo proprio come mai la Solitude abbia sorvolato su un difetto di questa portata. La cosa rimane un mistero e rappresenta, forse, la prima scelta effettuata da tale etichetta che mi trovi in disaccordo. Comunque sia, nel caso dei vocalizzi puliti, Markus si esprime al meglio nelle tonalitа sommesse di “Distant Dreams”, il brano piщ gotico dell’intero CD. Anche “End Of Ages”, la canzone d’apertura, non и male, proprio perchи non и inficiata dal lato peggiore del suono degli Astral Sleep.
Beh, la Solitude ci aveva abituato a grandi uscite, pertanto un disco buono corre sempre il rischio di essere valutato con severitа eccessiva. E cosм и successo agli Astral Sleep, che comunque rimangono un gruppo solido e che, penso sia abbastanza prevedibile, miglioreranno con gli anni. E’ importante perт che accettino le critiche, cosм da non ripetere sempre i medesimi errori. Errori dovuti magari alla personalitа di un membro rispetto ad un altro, al ruolo di leader da parte di uno e dal ruolo di comprimario dell’altro. A volte si devono prendere delle scelte fastidiose, che perт alla lunga possono dare risultati ottimi. Ogni sacrificio, fatto per il bene della band, va tenuto nella massima considerazione: non bisognaerebbe mai dimenticarselo.
Author: Hellvis
Review
The Streets
6/10
16.05.2009
Dette eksentriske Doom Metal-bandet har sitt opphav i de tusen sjøers land, hvor årene siden 2004 har blitt brukt til å utforske sjangerens irrganger. Det er et eksperimenteringslystent band som møter oss på «Unawakening» – forøvrig deres fullengderdebut – og de fem sporene som brer seg utover 66 minutter og 6 sekunder (fiffig) er da også spekket med kreative krumspring. De har tatt utgangspunkt i den tradisjonelle Doomen, så andelen med Heavy Metal-partier er rimelig høy, men paret med ulike vokaltyper som growling, kastratsang, thrash-roping og en Messiah-aktig munkevokal, blir det likevel en noe uvanlig helhet ved skiva. Tempomessig er det kanskje ikke de helt store variasjonene (sjøl om det dukker opp en galopprytme eller to sånn helt ut av det blå innimellom) og de hadde helt garantert vært bedre tjent med større kontrast i pulsen på låtene enn det det er nå. Det generelle inntrykket av stemningen er at den er mer lummer, enn dyster. De mange akustiske partiene må nok ta sin del av skylden for dette, men det er også en klar sammenheng med det utpregete melodiske aspektet ved «Unawakening». Synthen bidrar på samtlige komposisjoner, men den understreker mer det som finnes der fra før av, enn den komplementerer de andre instrumentene. Riffene og stemmen holder stort sett mål, men det er ikke alt som funker like bra, når sant skal sies. En del av solomelodiene treffer ikke timingen, noe som bare er pinlig, og den «rene» sangen er dramatisk, bevares, men også den har en forunderlig evne til å gjøre en ille berørt. De skal berømmes for viljen til å trå nye stier, men noen plasser har de nok vært for optimistiske med tanke på fremkommelighet.
Author: Rune
Review
Diabolical Conquest
5.5/10
19.07.2005
Sixty-six minutes and six seconds of epic doom metal is what Finland’s Astral Sleep gives the listener on their debut full length Unawakening. The album length is important because there are only five songs: for the mathematically challenged, that’s an average length of more than thirteen minutes a song. That’s a lot of doom. Just because a band can write long songs, doesn’t mean they should.
Now there’s nothing wrong with an album length of more than sixty minutes and song that stretch past the fifteen minute mark (some of my favorite doom albums push past both those marks: Dopethrone, Jerusalem/Dopesmoker, Times of Grace, Snailking), but what those albums have that Unawakening does is not is good and interesting songwriting. If it weren’t for minor stylistic differences, these five songs would be interchangeable. Each song is a tasteful, if somewhat bland, mélange of epic doom, doom death and traditional heavy metal: a dollop of Maiden, a cup of Paradise Lost, a spoonful of Doomsword and you have each song on this album. Astral Sleep does a good job of blending these styles together: there are no abrupt changes or choppy transitions to disrupt the flow. Unfortunately flow is relative on Unawakening because while this certainly isn’t as slow as funeral doom (even if it occasionally drops into an Esoteric crawl), it also rarely reaches the mid-tempo thunder of YOB or Candlemass. What it does do is trudge along amiably and inoffensively for most of its sixty-six minute length.
Scattered throughout those sixty-six minutes are enough hints of greatness to make this album more than a little frustrating. The clean guitar break and melodic lead work about 5:30 into “Cosmic Key” is beautiful melancholia akin to what My Dying Bride perfected years ago. The harmonica that opens and is interlaced throughout “Expression” somehow evokes the ghost of Neil Young (yes, that Neil Young!) without being cheesy or seeming out of place. Astral Sleep also manages, numerous times, to remind me of Pink Floyd with their extended instrumental sections: one of the most pleasant aspects of Unawakening is that it is largely instrumental. But despite all that, the album seems far, far, far longer than its actual running time.
This album suffers from the same thing that afflicts so many other doom albums of this sort: it’s kinda boring and nondescript. It occupies the dreaded middle ground of doom metal: it’s sorta heavy, sorta slow, fairly melancholic, fairly epic, slightly melodic, slightly deathly, decently played and decently produced, all of which add up to a heaping pile of mediocrity. It’s certainly not bad, but neither is it good enough to require repeated listening. Cut down to forty or forty-five minutes, Unawakening would be a solid chunk of mildly inspired epic doom, but at sixty-six minutes it’s a sprawling would-be masterpiece that’s to unwieldy for its own good.
Author: Tim Meisenheimer
Review
Deafsparrow
2/5
24.08.2009
‘This piece of heavy metal doom monstrosity will blow your minds a thousand times’ brags and boasts the insert of the first full-length of this Finnish band. Nothing could be further from the truth. These dudes are way out of their league. They don’t fit the bill. The shoes are too big to fill. Frankly, a claim that grandiose is not surprising considering the aural ambitions of Unawakening; an album that’s sophomoric in its execution, production and presentation and grandiose in its scope, riffs and ideas. If we want focus solely in the music I must say that inept songwriting corrodes every single song and takes every good idea straight to the shitter.
The album opens with “End of Ages”, a tiresome and morose goth-laced stew that features a deep guttural voice, an operatic tenor of dubious quality and some crappy grandfatherly vocal inflexions that remind of everyone’s favorite pumpkin head Dave Mustaine.
Unawakening reeks of early British doom a la My Dying Bride and Anathema. Only, this is way more convoluted. I mean, this is 2009 fellas, even for nostalgia’s sake you could have masked those cut and paste tempo shifts with editing. And you could have hidden those stomach bursting ridiculous lyrics via clichéd metal vocals.
Each song in Unawakening is ambitious beyond the player’s capabilities. That’s clear. For every good moment, Astral Sleep always finds a way to ruin it all. In “Cosmic Key” the band does what it does best, offer slow paced tedious doom. It’s ok. The song seems to have come to an end and the clear string work that apparently signifies this is not bad. But about one and a half minutes before the end of the song, the tune turns cheery. No kidding. This is like upbeat doom metal. Did the guys from Astral Sleep just see a bunny rabbit and got happy? Come on! What the hell was that? Plus, the title of the song alone hints at psychedelic rock, but there is none of that here. Not unintentionally anyway. Also, the drumming is sloppy as fuck. The dude makes more mistakes than Bush during its two tenures as president.
I can’t recommend Unawakening on the basis of its quality. If anything it can serve as a textbook example of what not to do, what not to play, what not to sing and what not to be. This record blows.
Review
Imperiumi
5/10
15.04.2009
Venäjän ahkerin levy-yhtiö pukkaa tällä kertaa suomalaista metallia Astral Sleepin debyyttilevyn muodossa. Kyseessä on levyllinen hidastelumetallia, joka ei tiedä missä genressä heiluisi ja paikoitellen miten päin.
Unawakeningiä kuunnellessa tulee useampaan kertaan mieleen lause “mitä vittua ne ajatteli”, joka ei ole niitä miellyttävimpiä ajatuksia musiikkia arvostellessa. Varsinkin sovituksissa on aika paljon löysää, sillä saralla levy tarvitsisi eniten jatkotyöstämistä.
Totaalisia ylilyöntejä levyllä ei onneksi ole kovin montaa kappaletta, vaikka hieman vaivaannuttavaa tekotaiteellisuutta on liiankin kanssa. Tosin ensimmäisenä korville korahti perisuomalainen kökköenglanti, jollaista ei tulisi päästää levylle asti, lyriikat kun voi opetella vaikka foneettisesti jos ei muuten taivu. Ja kun nyt lyriikoista tuli puhe, kannattaa tarkistuttaa tekstit useammalla englantia puhuvalla ihmisellä ja jos ei sitä halua tehdä, kannattaa jättää painamatta niitä levyn kansivihkoon. Nyt tekstit ovat kuin huonosti englanniksi käännettyä unipäiväkirjaa, tosin suurin osa painajaisista on kliseistä tajunnanvirtaa.
Bändin soittajat kaipaavat selkeästi lisää treeniä, nyt lähestulkoon jokainen levyn osa-alue tuntuu vajaalta tai puoliksi tehdyltä. On tainnut olla hirveä kiire päästä studioon soittamaan ja se kostautuu ikävästi. Kömpelöä yliyrittämistä, huonosti toteutettuja ideoita ja tekotaiteellistä vääntämistä ei katsele hyvällä. Vokalistin kannattaisi myös ruveta treenaamaan laulupuolta, jos sitä on näin paljon aikomus laittaa levylle asti.
Soundit ovat ihan ok, vaikka välillä kummastuttaakin soundivalintojen kanssa, kuten vaikka kitarasoundi joka kuulostaa huonolta versiolta Celtic Frostin Morbid Tales -soundeista. Tosin soundit muuttuvat levyllä jatkuvasti täysin mielivaltaisen tuntuisesti, jonka lisäksi levyllä on soittimia ja efektejä niin paljon, että tuntuu kuin levylle olisi lisätty kaikki mikä on äänitysten yhteydessä tullut mieleen ja ollut käsillä. Studiokikkailu vain kikkailun takia tulisi jättää omille demoille ja projekteille, eikä julkaisuun tarkoitettuun äänitteeseen.
Ja miksi sitä huonosti soitettua melodikaa (tai jotain sen suuntaista) on laitettu useampaan biisiin?!
Astral Sleepissä on paljon hyvää ja lupausta vaikka mihin, mutta ihan liian kovalla hopulla on lähdetty äänittämään levyä. Ihan helvetisti keikkaa ja treeniä, oman soiton demoamista vaikka treeninauhoilla tai jollain kevyellä raiturilla ja niitä kannattaa soittaa jollekin joka osaa olla kriittinen. Ja studioon kannattaa ottaa joku tuottamaan, eli kertomaan mitä saa ja mitä ei saa tehdä.
Arviosetää harmittaa antaa huonoja arvioita materiaalista, josta olisi pienellä vaivannäöllä saanut huomattavasti parempaa. Yrityksestä olisin mielelläni antanut “melkeen kasin” ja into tehdä musiikkia on aina hyvä asia, mutta toteutukseen olisi voinut panostaa hieman enemmän.
Author: Jukka Kolehmainen
Review
Zwaremetalen
4/10
04.03.2009
Het Finse trio (bijgestaan door sessiedrummers) Astral Sleep is weer eens zo’n vreemde eend in de bijt. De uitgangsbasis is doom/death maar er is door velerlei andere invloeden en experimenten sprake van een wirwar van muziek op trage voet geschoold.
Bij een band als Solstafir, die ik eerder mocht reviewen, pakte dat erg sterk uit. Bij Astral Sleep vind ik dat eerlijk gezegd veel minder uitpakken. Dat komt waarschijnlijk omdat de basis van de muziek erg simpel is en erg dicht bij de doom/death blijft, alleen één van de gitaren en de zanger schieten alle kanten op, vaak ontbreekt de lijn in het geheel en helaas is ook de uitvoering gewoonweg niet goed. Daarnaast draagt de erg platte productie bij aan een slap album.
Zanger Markus doet van alles met zijn stem, grunt, clean en een poging tot een power metal stemmetje, maar vooral dat laatste klinkt alsof je over een poedel heen rijdt. Alleen is zijn stem helaas niet echt sterk, het klinkt allemaal aardig geforceerd en past niet bij de rest van de muziek, die vaak te simpel is en weinig sfeer met zich mee draagt.
Ik heb Solitude altijd erg hoog zitten, ze weten goede bands te strikken. Jammer genoeg slaan ze met dit album compleet de plank mis, dit album mist naar mijn mening alles wat goede doom nodig heeft, en daarnaast is het ook nog eens ondermaats ingespeeld.
Author: Jan Hendriksen
Review
Atmospheric.pl
3.5/10
Po demówce oraz EPce przyszedł czas na długogrająca płytę ASTRAL SLEEP. I tak na albumie „Unawakening” ten fiński zespół lunatykuje w swoim astralnym, sennym świecie, kompletnie nie chcąc się przebudzić… Muzykę można określić jako stonowany, bardzo klimatyczny dark/doom metal, który z lekka ma w sobie coś hipnotyzującego. Utwory zawierają w sobie subtelne melodie i smutny klimat. W dużym stopniu na krążku obecne są akustyczne brzmienia. Wokalista śpiewa głosem czystym (czasem z wielkim namaszczeniem) lub takim mrocznym „zmutowanymi” bądź szepcze, zaś w „Away From The Word” słychać też chropowaty growling. Ozdobnikiem kompozycji są partie gitarowe, a przez „Expression” przewija się harmonijka ustna (trochę fałszująca, skądinąd), co jest jednym z najbardziej niestandardowych rozwiązań zastosowanych na „Unawakening”. Cała płyta charakteryzuje się dużym spokojem. Upływa bez pośpiechu, nierzadko w ciężkich, wolnych, monotonnych tempach doom metalowych. Trwa ponad godzinę, a najdłuższe utwory są rozciągnięte po 13-15-17 minut. Muzyka grupy ASTRAL SLEEP nie jest to ani oryginalna, ani skomplikowana, acz urokliwa.
Author: Kasia
Review
Metal-Daze
07.07.2009
El Doom nos sacude las entrañas como suele hacerlo de costumbre con el nuevo trabajo de los fineses ASTRAL SLEEP, una suerte de banda que se nutre del Funeral Doom para brindarle a su estilo un toque tétrico, sombrío, desconsolador…en todo su repertorio.
Largas son las composiciones, largo el desencanto que provoca en el sentir del hombre dejarse llevar por estas cinco canciones nacidas del más profundo de los dolores.
La melodía se deja llevar y claudican en un punto donde todo se vuelve tan penoso y doloroso que My Dying Bride parece Carajo deprimido una tarde.
“Cosmic Key” es, prácticamente junto a todo el material, una especie de “cortina musical” del funeral de todos los seres vivos del planeta. Casi nada, o casi todo; lo primordial es que la música viene acompañada de una solemnidad que atrapa, asfixia y allí está el punto más alto del material.
En un sub. género no apto para todo publico, lo que practica ASTRAL SLEEP requiere de una cierta y agraciada predisposición de parte de quien comparte estos sonidos, y tal vez por ello esta sea una “misión” no apta para cualquiera.
Cinco composiciones en cincuenta minutos, cinco gritos desesperados que encuentran eco en, tal vez, los mismos gritos que los proclaman y en algunos seres dispuestos a escuchar…
Author: Gustavo
Review
Live4metal
Solitude, it has to be said, release a hell of a lot of doom death. To be fair, in the time that I have been reviewing their output, they’ve never really put out a stinker. The Russian label must have their ears to the doom grindstone though, because Astral Sleep are a Finnish band rather than the usual soviet nationality. This frozen four piece is also a doom/death band, but don’t stop reading now – because they don’t just slavishly follow the template set by early Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. In perhaps the most conservative sub-genre in extreme metal, Astral Sleep have the courage to set their own standards.
Unawakening is a seriously impressive album. Weighing in at around an hour in length, it
never-the-less has but five tracks on the shiny disc. It’s fair to say that they aren’t rushing anywhere to get to the end of any of their songs, but this isn’t just another exercise in dragging out the same two or three riffs over ten minutes. Astral Sleep are very progressive. If they were in education, for instance, they’d preside over one of those 60′s establishments where the kids were left to educate themselves, and the teachers wore nothing but brightly coloured paint and smiles. Opener “Away From The World” flirts with twin guitars, growled, choral and clean vocals, along with tasteful minor key acoustic passages. Unlike many of their peers, it seems as if Astral Sleep aren’t just in the game of producing miserable atmospheres – this is a much more engaging, intellectual listen. Look, this isn’t Britney sodding-Spears, and you’re not going to be humming these tunes after a single listen or two, but in persevering, you’ll find plenty to have you coming back. Each track generally opens with an interesting introduction replete with echoing sound effects, clanking and tasteful keyboard parts. The production is absolutely spot on, with a thick, grimy quality to the heavier riffs, while the drums are also notably punchy and full.
Progressive music usually makes me come out in hives, bringing to mind the worst excesses of long haired noodling, pointless guitar wankery and abrupt time changes, but on this album I can see how it is done best. Sprawling music does not have to mean aimless, and bringing fresh ideas to the table does not mean throwing the baby out with the bath water. With passages of both muscular and intellectual music, this caters for every flavour of the more discerning metal head. With sounds of seaside scenes, some accordion and subtle tones of acoustic instruments thrown into the mix, this could have been a complete mess. Astral Sleep, however, have a method in their madness. Nothing has been placed on this album “for the hell of it”. Everything by design, and everything for a purpose. It’s certainly not easy listening, but then do you really want all your metal spoon fed to you? Engaging is the word.
Author: Chris Davison
Review
Diztorted
31.05.2009
Ух, вогнали в задумчивость депрессивные финские парни! Еще бы – первая песня, и сразу про конец времен…
Не шедевр, но интересный релиз дебютного альбома финнов на уважаемом отечественном лейбле. Для меня интерес в первую очередь проявился в сочетании такого мэйнстримового прямолинейного и простенького по композиционности и исполнению doom-metal’а со стоунером. А порой встречается не смесь, но чистый Epic Doom в духе незабвенных Black Sabbath.
Из инструментов – есть и в меру тяжелые (но по-стоунеровски) гитары, и проникновенные мелодические соло с акустическими вставками, ненавязчивые совсем незаметные клавиши, ритм-секция, но вокал разнообразен, как многоликий Янус: он то рычит, то хрипит, то этак пафосно полобаритонально поёт-декламирует, а несколько раз выходит на фальцет, чем при хорошей громкости воспроизведения и задумчивости слушателя хорошо так может встряхнуть эффектом неожиданности.
Музыка в общем легка для восприятия. Получился доступный ненавязчивый и в меру приятный думяк.
Обложка этого альбома, на мой взгляд, – это мазня, а остальные невеселые картинки – бесполезные мазки краски на бумаге. Слабовато.
В текстах финны заблудились в трех или даже двух соснах – материализм приправили легкой мистикой, но все время сползают в какую-то техно-фэнтези. Да, может без вникания в тексты впечатление будет иным.
Author: Valentii
Review
Darkcity 50\2009
3/5
Май\Июнь 2009
Вы никуда не спешите? Я тоже. Так что сперва, извольте, анекдотец… Бредут, значит, двое финнов по шоссе, не спеша, с достоинством. И вдруг что-то проносится мимо со свистом! Через полчаса один спрашивает у другого: “Что… это… было?” И через такой же промежуток времени получает ответ: “Мика… Хаккинвн… – позор нации…” А вот финский квартет Astral Sleep своей угрюмой музыкой нацию явно не позорит! Хотя эти пять сюрреалистически, трагично звучащих композиций, за окончательно и бесповоротно заторможенный “похоронный” дум, никак не сойдут! Уж больно много тут всяких неожиданных поворотов – от “классического” дэт/дума до каких-то весьма даже фолковых моментов, а ударная доза “холодных” клавишных партий и “нехороших” сэмплов с трудом уживается с приятной уху “акустикой*. А уж вокал и вовсе на любой вкус! Толково, конечно, но уж как-то слишком аморфно, неопределенно… Разных идей на десяток альбомов хватит. Может, поэтому в комментариях обещано, что альбом взорвет мозг тысячу раз? Я бы на себя так много не брал, тем более, будучи финном. Не надо тысячу. Полегоньку, помаленьку… Лучше десять раз по разу, чем ни разу десять раз!
Author: Srgn
Review
The Executioner Zine
7.75/10
07.02.2010
Desde Tampere (Finlandia) el cuarteto que tomó por nombre Astral Sleep en el 2004 editó en el 2008 este álbum que me dispongo a reseñar, tras una demo y un EP (del 2005 y 2006 respectivamente), ambas bajo el nombre de la banda. En su formación podemos encontrar a miembros de otras bandas finesas como Hypothermia (no les confundais con los suecos de mismo nombre), Mystic Opera o Division Of The Spoils, entre otras.
Basando su sonido en los parámetros del Doom Metal de los noventa, Astral Sleep demuestran en este “Unawakening” una evolución muy personal de ese sonido, gracias a un uso de las guitarras eléctricas muy limitado, sin los típicos acordes graves ultra pesados, dándoles más tiempo para respirar y con un sonido más abierto, entrando mucho más en los reinos del Ambient y la experimentación con los sentimientos, y nada similar al que suelen usar las bandas de su país, pero al mismo tiempo consiguiendo una atmósfera más cercana al Funeral Doom (dentro de unos límites) que a la vertiente melódica del género, a pesar de una variación muy bien conseguida de registros vocales.
No se puede negar que el resultado final podría ser similar a lo que hubiesen conseguido Anathema si no hubiesen dado ese giro radical hacia sus influencias más poperas si no que hubiesen insistido en elaborar su Doom Metal con las voces limpias que empezaron a usar en su época media (en el caso de los fineses con un pequeño desgarro que les acerca a la del gran Taneli Jarva), o a algo de Mar De Grises sin tantas voces guturales, conservando, eso sí, algo de la psicodelia de aquellos y toques que a veces recuerdan al Doom clásico, sin serlo estrictamente, como lo hacía por ejemplo el de los grandes Tristitia. Eso sí, como es habitual, sus raíces musicales quedan ancladas a su país, siempre con la esencia melancólica que nos llega desde Finlandia cuando no les da por lo dulzón, llenándolo todo con esa vertiente nihilista y desesperada.
Más que una obra maestra en sí mismo, “Unawakening” da la impresión de un preludio muy destacable, que anticipa una continuación que podria ser brillante si evolucionan algo más su sonido y le dan una producción más profesional (no es mala para nada, pero sorprende que no sea mejor viniendo de donde viene la banda). Eso sí, cualquier seguidor del Doom disfrutará el disco, no creo que me equivoque. Ah, y la portada fea fea.
Author: Jeroni Sancho