Demigod

Slumber of Sullen Eyes (1992)

Slumber of Sullen Eyes is an aural journey of two parts; that from without and that from within. 

The former (tracks 1-6) is the observation of the unforgiving cosmos, as a sprawling, godless void full of darkness and obscurity. This is a place for the lost, where man is forever tacked down to a pitiful existence in the face of the unbending human condition. Here the songs make use of driving tremolo picked rythyms, chromatic sections and darkly tinged melodic counter-point played over an underlying 'thrash' drum beat that acts like a battering pulse. The band prefers to use longer phrasing that often resolves itself over multiple sub-sections. 

The latter (songs 7-11) is a reflection, but holds no definitive answers, of the over-coming or transcendence from the over-arching worldly struggles above. The songs here are more noticably restrained, and take the withdrawn ambient feel of the album to the next level. Here the production, washed in treble takes on its proper meaning, allowing the mood (with continued focus on melodic and harmonic relationships) to seep into the soul. The songs are meditative, introverted, but completely aware of the stark reality of the cosmos that is only found through extroversion (as opposed to complete 'religious denial') in seeking the eternity beyond. A delicate, and at times conflicting relationship, that the album pulls off to reflection - the mix of seeming chaos with withdrawn understanding. The only answers lie deep within, and as the final notes of Perpetual Ascent float away into the distance, we can feel only as if we have risen deep into the inner-most part of our being. 

A classic; best listened to as an ambient album.