FABLES OF THE SLEEPLESS EMPIRE

Fables of the Sleepless Empire is the third full-length album by Canadian avant-garde extreme metal band Unexpect. Their second album In a Flesh Aquarium, released in 2006, has become one of my all time favourite albums, so I was quite excited about their next album. Fables of the Sleepless Empire arrived in 2011, so the band certainly took time for their next release. On this album we have the seven-piece band of their previous work, the only difference is that violin player Le Bateleur is replaced by Borboen. Unfortunately, this is going to be the last album featuring keyboard player Exod. Fables of the Sleepless Empire contains 11 tracks(but the last three form a quasi-suite), and has a playing time of about 55 minutes. The music is unmistakebly Unexpect, so various kinds of metal, and many other influences are melted together. Compared to the previous album the circus/carneval elements are almost completely gone, and there is more room for celtic folk, fusion and smyphonic sounds. The songs are better crafted than on their previous work, I love In a Flesh Aquarium, but with this album I realize that the band had many rooms for improvement regarding songwriting. With the more harmonic, mature and I even dare to say more accesible approach Unexpect have not not lost their quirkiness, complexity and heaviness. This is still a very demanding and wild album, which demands full attention, and easily can make one"s head seriously ache. The musicanship is absolutety amazing, especially Chaoth's wizardy on the 9-stringed bass guitar. My favourite tracks are the opening Unsolved Ideas of a Distorted Guest, Orange Vigilantes and Unfed Pendulum, but after a while i have to admit, that even the interludes are winners on their on right. Surely, Unexpect's version of progressive extreme metal is not everyone's bag, but I beleve, that in this kind of music you can hardly make a better album. I am glad owner of an autographed copy of this masterpiece, since the band's short, but memorable performance in Budapest.