EP Review: “The Sound of Forgiveness” by Sleep Circadia
Genre: Metalcore/Prog
Rating: ****1/2
Full of surprises, dark energy, and musical mastery, Sleep Circadia’s debut EP is certainly the right way to kick off 2013 in the 315 music scene. After reviewing the lead single, “Gloom”, I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the whole EP, and am in no way disappointed with the whole product. Like the single, the rest of “The Sound of Forgiveness” is ridiculously heavy, full of melodic riffing and super slow breakdowns, deep lyrics, great grooves, and dark atmosphere. The greatest thing about this EP, however, is not what is in “Gloom”, but what isn’t in it that the rest of the songs have. This EP keeps you guessing, with different melodic patterns, song structures, and sound effects. The title track/intro song is climactic, building up the suspense as it opens up into “Set It Off”, and the whole record keeps that sense of curiosity at what will come next. It is beautifully produced, giving a creepy, confined tone that seems to open up and close you inside it at the same time. This sound matches the incredibly low tuning of the instruments and key of the vocals, making the whole thing seem so mysteriously dark. The musicianship on this EP is fantastic. The guitar tracks consist of choppy rhythms, shredding riffs, slow breakdowns, and catchy melodies, all in a creepy tone, and most of which are in every single song. The drums are phenomenal, keeping the time perfectly and alternating flawlessly between very fast and very slow rhythms of different styles. The bass has one of the coolest tones I’ve ever heard, which is really saying something because you can almost never hear the bass in a song. The vocals are incredibly low and well delivered, with great execution of both the guttural screams and the beautiful clean vocals. I must mention, however, that I have seen Sleep Circadia many times before, and their screams are better live than on the studio recordings. This sounds like a bad thing, but it really isn’t for two reasons; the vocals do sound good on the EP as well, and it gives you another reason to go see them play live. If, of course, the fact that their music is awesome wasn’t reason enough to want to see them live. Their live show is every bit as entertaining and heavy as the EP sounds, but seeing them live adds a whole new depth to the character of the band. In conclusion, I recommend “The Sound of Forgiveness” very highly to all fans of metal and hardcore for its creativity, atmosphere, quality, and diversity. I predict that the future is as bright for Sleep Circadia as their music is dark.
Go “like” Sleep Circadia and download “The Sound of Forgiveness” here FOR FREE:
https://www.facebook.com/sleepcircadia
Rock on 315!
-Steve, 315MR (Upstate Metal) BTLYAP
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