TIAMAT - The Astral Sleep LP (Black In Beer Vinyl)

Limited Edition 300 copies.

Given the unusual nature of this album I don’t expect it will be a welcoming listen for everyone. It’s not quite an uneasy album, really. Indeed, this is reflected in popular opinion as The Astral Sleep’s reputation is something of a dormant one as people tend to favour later Tiamat albums or heap praise on other more conventional Swedish classics (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Perhaps The Astral Sleep has proven to be an influence on other bands who sought to re-imagine extreme metal but very few of them put out anything as unique or moving as this work (often producing monstrosities given their poor handiwork) . Simply put this is a unique listening experience; subtle, but riffy, gloomy yet never monotonous and always captivating. Once you’ve been drawn in by those ghostly keys there’s really no way out.