IN GLORIOUS TIMES

3 years have passed since SGM released their magna opus album that is "Of natural history", an album so diverse, so original, so intelligent and weird that it would give second thoughts to continuo to most bands, because. how do you top that? There is no way the same band could top it, no chance at all. So, what then? Should they have call it a day after it? Hell no!!! The Sleepy are way too good and way to intelligent to continuo without looking at the past, and that's what they did. "In glorious times" is a step back in order to take two steps forward, it seems SGM got rawer, simpler and more direct with this one. but only, and I repeat, only on the surface. Just like in the rest of their catalog it takes quite some time to fully grasp the world that is every song in this album, how deep it all goes and how good it really is. Guitars are more predominant here, as well as Carla´s vocals (which are getting better and better and it seems she has finally found her own style instead of the Bjork derivation from previous albums). But the album does suffer from one thing. While "Of natural history" had a swamp of homemade instruments which made some of the most unusual sounds ever heard, it seems this time they aren't that predominant. Of course this is all in the "not do the same thing twice" policy in which this guys, and gal, work, which is more than respectable. but I do miss them a bit.

The album starts with one of their best songs, the longest one too, I mean of course "The companions". Nil sings with great emotion and also comedy (very typical in him) which gives the music a whole other dimension. The music itself is slow and low at the start, but it builds up, pretty much through out the whole song until it hits a chaotic climax with Nil and Carla doing some of the most haunting vocal harmonies ever heard. and they are in Spanish too, which is quite new in them. An excellent and over the top way to start an excellent and over the top album. "Helpless Corpses Enactment" is by far the heaviest tune of the album, and quite possible of their entire carrier. The whole thing moves around some crazy metalish riffs, Nil's growling vocals, Carla's falsettos and that locomotive like percussion. Another stand out. "Puppet show" is one of those songs that are almost an abstract reunion of sounds and dissonant melodies which could be a disaster in strange hands, but sounds quite impressive done by the Sleepy´s. Another of their trademarks. "Formicary" is the first song where Carla takes the lead. It's a fun song about a man that would be king, and save the world because of how good of a person he is. but of course, this can not happen because. he is too good of a person for this world. Only the Sleepy. "Angle of repose", Carla's second leading song has her stretching her voice from one end to the other, from a soft and high pitched start to a violent growl near the end (if you think a male growl is scary, prepare for a female's). Another stand out and Carla's best vocal job ever! "Ossuary" is just crazy. just crazy. To explain it would take quite some time, crazy is truly the best way to describe it. "Salt crown" is the first segment, along with "Only Dance", "Greenless wreath", "Widening eye" and "Putrid refrain", of a monstrous piece of music, but don't think that this is a sort of epic, it's more like several songs that go good together and have some sort of connection. On a more lyrical and conceptual point of view they might be even more connected, and a story might even be told, but that is a job for a future reviewer, as I don't have the lyrics with me. This piece of music goes all over the field that is SGM, from their slow build ups, to the most bizarre instrumental sections, to phone calls (apparently it's Nil's brother who speaks through the phone here.), to everything expected and of course unexpected from this guys. The last seconds of "Widening eye" and the whole "Putrid refrain" are reason enough to listen to it. But keep in mind that it's not a bit 30 minutes epic song, but a. thing. some creature the Sleepy have developed. listen to it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

To summon it all up. this is some crazy shit. but it's some of the best crazy shit out there. Extremely recommend to anyone into the more bizarre realms of music.

As a side note; this is my first review as a Prog reviewer. how exciting!!!!!!!