Review Summary: High Fever Blues.
夢遊病者, or Sleepwalker, are an experimental black metal three piece whose members are believed to spawn only under specific conditions in different parts of the world. Some confirmed sightings indicate activity in Tver, Osaka and New York but the whole thing is shrouded in mystery and this review will contribute to keep it that way.
Skopofoboexoskelett is their fourth full length, channeled through Sentient Ruin Laboratories which is home to... sonic forces we don't truly comprehend but we all enjoy somehow.
This is probably one of 夢遊病者's most refined and accessible recordings up to date, and it includes a list of collaborators that looks like a soccer team roster. They're only credited by their initials, so only the Great Ones know who is really playing on this album. But let’s leave names aside and focus on the goods, because they are plenty and my fingers are itching to type words about them. 夢遊病者 manages to induce the listener into a fever dream right from the start with "Mirrors Turned Inward", an eight-minute rite of passage that goes from something that resembles an improvised soundcheck before the show to a full-on noise prog jam with black metal bursts scattered around the track. With tempered pace and the occasional sax spur here and some xylophone notes floating around there, the mood here is playful and somewhat gentle considering the band’s previous outputs. Dissonant riffing dominates the soundscape and phantasmagoric whispers lead your trip like a shaman would do on a trip through the stars. It sounds undoubtedly like 夢遊病者but everything feels more relaxed, even closer to bands like Grails than to, well, any black metal band you can possibly think of. Speaking of Grails, they have a new album coming and Emil Amos also released a solo album this week. Coincidence? Yes, absolutely.
Anyhow,
Skopofoboexoskelett brings the best of what it has to offer on its second track, "Silesian Fur Coat", which is simply one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard this year. Again, the Grails vibe is strong here. The song is driven at first by PBV's sliding guitar crawling over KJM's suave drum beat like a snake riding a dune, sliding at times into controlled chaos but always returning to that sort of instrumental oasis where aural mirages meet the scorching sun and thirst gives way to ecstasy. A short cut titled "The Eagle Flies" links this track with the final stretch of this hallucinating reverie, fired up by a didgeridoo and followed by NN's bass storm while KJM contributes with timely percussion. It's a short and thrilling display of 夢遊病者's capabilities, but also a reminder: No matter how many times you think you have them figured out, they will pull an 180º and down the spiral you go. The last track, sharply titled "The Bad Luck That Saved You From Worse Luck", patiently unwinds through another eight minutes (and 5 seconds, exactly the same time as the opener), allowing itself to break free from the spell discharging 夢遊病者's abrasive brand of black metal showing impressive restrain and self-consciousness. There’s enough speed and loudness to drag you into a brief vertigo, but the band often pull the brakes when you less expect, cuddling you again in the dazzling atmosphere the trio is able to conjure.
Skopofoboexoskelett presents 夢遊病者 at their best, with the only caveat being that I'm left craving for more, an impending hunger that will only be satisfied as I proceed to get more intimate with the band's back catalogue, from 2021's "Валаам", which already spiked my interest during a cursory listen minutes before writing this review, to 2018's 一期一会", which I listened to some days ago and my only conclusion after a couple of minutes of perplexed silence was: "I need to hear this again". So, there you go, a true summer album for the avantgarde scholar, ambrosia for the cultivated mind, blissful euphoria! If I'm still dreaming when I publish this, don't wake me up, let me dwell this album in peace, for once and forever.
