Russia has a modest, yet ever growing underground and extreme music scene that rarely ceases to amaze. L'Homme Absurde (French for "The Absurd Human") stands as one of those hard-hitting metal acts that has caught our attention. Formed originally in Moscow as a one man project in 2015, this post-black metal entity evolved into a full lineup band consisting of a vocalist and drummer, aka the one who created L'Homme Absurde, in addition to two guitarists and a bass player. The band was also under the Fono Ltd. label and have now released their sophomore full lenth to us all. Let's check it out.
Sleepless is the second full length release by L'Homme Absurde that serves as a follow-up to the band's debut album titled Monsters. Released in late March 2018 via Soundage Productions, this new record features seven tracks and nearly forty minutes of content, with the frontman providing the mystic influenced cover art. Sleepless also contains many tropes related to spirituality, existentialism as well as some scientific themes and others if you read between the lines.
The melodies and overall atmosphere of this album are pretty phenomenal throughout its running time. These elements are especially strong in tracks such as "Black Hole" and "Carriers", the latter of which features some The Contortionist and Harakiri For The Sky vibes among other things. Progression and transitions really aid a ton in the previous factors, with the general song structures featuring ocassional tempo changes and riff transitions that blend together fairly well, too. The vocals on Sleepless make for a solid contrast to the organized melodies, with all its dissonance and harsh traits being akin to the familiar qualities of black metal. Production quality also gets a plus for its clarity and little added touches that give way to a well-polished and finished final product.
One thing to mention is the somewhat lack of bass, which may bring down the rhythmic quality to some. Other than this, the new addition to the band's discography is easily a hit.
Sleepless is an intelligently executed and strongly structured post-black metal release that presents some interesting concepts to its listeners. The album is formidable in sound, both instrumentally and vocally, and possesses very few flaws...making it an instant classic for those who are searching for something a little bit different in their routine black metal and post-metal fix.
Fave Tracks: "Black Hole", "Nausea", "Carriers"
For Fans Of: Harakiri For The Sky, Howling In The Fog, Nightgrave
**This release is available now on Bandcamp and at Soundage Productions here!**
-----------------
Support your fave artists and musicians!
-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.