Bring Me a Dream
So the theme of Sigh's
The first thing you will notice about this record is that it actually has a good production. I guess the band finally relented gave the fans what they want, ditching the boombox microphone in a cave approach.
After that, you won't stop noticing things, because they're constantly throwing new things at you. Besides your standard metal setup, they also use synth, electric organ, piano, harpsichord, sax, horns, choirs, accordian, robot voice, music box, and samples. As if that's not complicated enough, the musical styles represented include black metal, power metal, sexy jazz, circus music, Middle Eastern folk, French folk, dubstep, and a chill Latin jam. Crazy, right? But that's the thing with dreams--they don't necessarily fit together or make sense.
Anything that has so much stuff in it should, by all rights, fall apart under its own weight. By some bizarre Japanese magic, it doesn't, and the band have created what could be their catchiest album to date. I don't know how they did it, but they did.
The Verdict: Many people will not agree with my assessment, and this will turn out to be one of the most love-it-or-hate-it releases of 2012. But give it a half-dozen listens, and it will work its way into your skull. Maybe even into your dreams. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Buy In Somniphobia
It's a fantastic album and it is available on the Candlelight Bandcamp. Added to Metal Bandcamp here.
ReplyDeleteFunny, almost all reviews I've read (mine too) included a long list of all the different styles on the album, like the one you have. I guess it is unavoidable :)
I still think that (so far) this is my front runner for metal album of the year.
ReplyDelete@ Patrick: It's right up there, for sure.
ReplyDelete@ Max: That's true of a lot of the positive reviews. I don't think you can really get a sense of the breadth of styles without such a list, or at least naming four or so. The negative reviews tend to say "circus metal" and leave it at that. It has certainly been divisive, or at least the praise has been far from universal.