With this review and premiere VoS comes full-circle in a way. We reviewed 夢遊病者’s last record Noč Na Krayu Sveta very shortly after our launch, five days later, to be precise! And then they were one of the earlier interview partners back in October 2021. That we are now able to present their new record SKOPOFOBOEXOSKELETT a day ahead of its release tomorrow is more than an honor.
夢遊病者 have never been your average band, hell they have not even been your average Avantgarde Black Metal band, let alone Heavy Metal band. Their music is always challenging because if you are looking for order OR pure chaos you won’t find either of them, for there is some clear underlying structure but that is hidden by a large chunky barrier of noise and deconstructivism. Thus the duality of order and chaos is not given, which surely is a major element of human thinking as deconstructivism and quantum philosophy neither deny nor confirm anything which makes it really unbearable for some humans to try and understand that stage of being and thinking. In that sense the metaphor of the full circle is a very appropriate one: It has never beginning nor end and you cannot take away any single degree because then its existence as a full circle is not given anymore. So by taken it as a perfect singularity with all the consequences - but then again: are there any? This ever-dual shape cannot be unseen but can be filled.
And 夢遊病者 fill it with many shades and forms - but do not expect to see them all at first glance. Take the first single “Silesian Fur Coat” - surely one will notice the Morricon’esque Spaghetti Western-like parts and elements. And when the third track, “The Eagle Flies”, starts you might at first understand the snapping Industrial elements, which remind me of a wild-gone creature from the Alien-series. However, underneath these sharp exoskeletal sounds you can find slight remnants of the Western movie sounds. These exist in many shapes and forms and one might even argue that all sounds and elements on this record co-exist along parallel time-lines in their own way - isn’t that exactly the road into a constructive nihilism? Everything is given at any time? You just have to look for it?
夢遊病者’s answer: Surely! Nothing exists in its own right but everything exists in its co-dependence to other things and elements. It is all just a matter of perception, which again is highly individualized. One might only notice the chaos of the opening track “Mirrors Turned Inward” (“mirrors” as in reflections, “inward” as in individual?!?!). The good thing about any 夢遊病者-record is that no matter how you look at it, no matter how well you think, you got this certain, specific perception figured out, as soon as your head is tilted just a tiny bit, that order is gone. The band shifts through Jazz, Black Metal, Avantgarde Freedom, Industrial, Kraut-Rock, Western movie soundtracks, Doom and you name it in four tracks and roughly 25 minutes - it is really not turning heads but unscrewing spinal chords, because a thorough understanding of these tracks seems impossible, for at least a year. It might seem like a short record for many, but believe me - this will be high on many lists. No matter which categories, because categories are just one shape. SKOPOFOBOEXOSKELETT has many, not too many, and it will need time and concentration, will and isolation to immerse yourself in it. And even more to let go. Amazing work by the unknown trio and their plethora of guest musicians and artists. AOTY material. Once again for its predecessor, Noč Na Krayu Sveta, was my album of the year in 2021. Another circle, yet again.
You can still order your copy of SKOPOFOBOEXOSKELETT via the Sentient Ruin Bandcamp page or directly from the label’s website!
