Tiamat: A Deeper Kind of Slumber

Features: Johan Edlund, Thoman Petersson, Anders Wers, Lars Sköld, Sami Yli-Sirniö, Ertugrul Coruk, Anke Eilhardt, Birgit Zacher, Dirk Draeger, Siggi Bemm

Band: Tiamat
Album: A Deeper Kind of Slumber
Tracklist:

1. Cold Seed
2. Teonanactl
3. Trillion Zillion Centipedes
4. The Desolate One
5. Atlantis As A Lover (!)
6. Alteration X 10
7. Four Leary Biscuits (!)
8. Only In My Tears It Lasts
9. Whores of Babylon (!)
10. Kite
11. Phantasma De Luxe
12. Mount Marilyn (!)
13. A Deeper Kind of Slumber

(The ! marks the best songs on the album, some might have more than one)

Lullabies for lost loves

Tiamat was a well established project of Johan Edlund by the time they published this album, which I consider their best one. It is their fourth album and their previous album Wildhoney was a seminal work when it came out, doing what no one had been able to succeed in, which was to combine Pink Floyd with Metal.

Nevertheless, after Wildhoney Johan Edlund locked himself in to his own studio and started creating this intensely personal album. Unlike the previous album, A Deeper Kind Of Slumber is more experimental and has rather strong ethnic and folk influences.

Also, while the previous albums were quite clearly Metal A Deeper... seems to have lost nearly all Metal influences, and even the most agressive parts (which are few and far between) seem more rock or electronically influenced than metal. The synthetizers and the mood dominates the compositions, often delving in to plain Ambient soundscapes.

The album is rather cohesive, taking in account all the various influences, songs like "Whores of Babylon" are nearly purely electronic music, where "Cold Seed" is just rock. The songs are slow and the fastest tempo you will hear on the whole album is right on the first song. In many ways the first song is somewhat misguiding, for it is too energetic to describe the album.

Most of the songs are slowly building compositions that usually feature Johan's voice at the forefront, often accompanied by clear guitar and ocassionally inspired melodic guitar solo. The drums and bass are understated and live drums are often replaced by electronic drums.

The mood of the album is desolate and dark and the lyrics are nearly incomprehensive at time, and the song "Four Leary Biscuits" displays some impressive improvisation and very strong ethnic flavors, also featuring the ubiquitous Sami Yli-Sirniö playing Sitar. During this album Johan Edlund takes the listener through a variety of dark emotions with his tired and lazy vocals, his deep voice nearly hypnotizing you. The album is darkly introverted and somehow resigned, as if Johan had finally given in to his pessimistic worldview.

The album was mostly composed in his own homestudio with little input from outside world, and he had some relationship troubles at the time, which is quite clearly reflected in the music. This is the ultimate album for all who like dark music, and who don't mind almost oppressive melancholy.

If this album should be described with two words, it would be "Massive Melancholy". Undoubtedly one of the best albums from 1997.