ninehertz

Are you looking for eccentricity in your extreme metal? Cosmic black metal that goes so far into the stars it goes through a black hole and out the other side? Technical death metal that appears to have been rewired by an Asimov robot? Then, like you needed telling, I, Voidhanger Records should be your regular haunt. The weirdos of the metal world are attracted to its light and converge in chaos.

Even then, even in the context of being in the right home, this asylum, Sleep Paralysis advance that understanding to new plains of existence. You won't have heard much like this album, anywhere. To describe this as black metal imbued with jazz and prog and chiptune sounds off-kilter right? It doesn't even get close to what you're to experience. The opening track is classical piano. The second is deranged and frenetic symphonic black metal. The piano keeps reappearing, a constant theme, a sense brought with it of a demented horror film chase scene.

Listen to Fever Dream - its like listening to Strapping Young Lad's City at 45 instead of 33 to begin, ferocious black metal next, into a breakdown of jittery, spidery, synthy eeriness; then even when you know not to place any expectations on its direction, it confounds regardless, turning to a crazy chiptune electronica from a whole other world; its absolutely beguiling. It's sequel Fever Dream II - Paranoia, seven tracks later, is purer chiptune, obscure and restlessly unsettling.

There are recurring musical motifs throughout which cleverly and disruptively create these wormhole loops in the album, that piano occasionally disarming, but never left too long before the free jazz meets angular prog black metal mania crash up against each other again. It's closing track Nostalgia slows it down, the effect cinematic, light and dark, synth and black... and then it's over, and you take a deep breath.

I am totally immersed as I play through, every time. Will I revisit often? Possibly not, it takes a certain mindset and mood - committed and open to the whole experience, and perhaps nothing will match the first time you hear this. But regardless, it's hard not to marvel at the sheer adventure of it all, a prog sci-fi wonderland, terraformed from a mind which is presumably wired slightly different from the rest of us. I'd recommend the journey to everyone, even if you keep it to the once for your sanity.