Extreme Metal duo from Edmonton, Sleepwraith have taken a bold approach the creation of their debut release “Day Terrors“, they explain; “We created an album with little thought as to how it would be received, instead focusing on making an album that we would want to hear. Hopefully, our fans enjoy music for the same reasons we do and enjoy this album as much as we do.” Personally I think that’s a great plan, if you love what you create it shines through in the finished product and the result here is an album that is powerful, dynamic and emotive.
For the duo, Seedy Mitchell covering guitar, bass, vocals and Ryan Biggs on drums, the concept of Sleepwraith has been developing over the last twenty years and is the combined influence of their five individual previous bands whose material has explored genres from Grunge to Metalcore and Punk Rock to Hardcore, so the result is very diverse, intricate and interesting to listen to, a well balanced and complementary amalgamation of their very different musical backgrounds, with an overall very modern and technical edge to the delivery, which I think works very well.
The duo also explain the source behind their work; “The main inspiration is the need to expel the demons within and contain them in an art form. We use this inner turmoil as a starting place, and try to make it into something beautiful. It’s painful and sometimes disgusting, but it’s also therapeutic.”
“Day Terrors” is an eleven track, fifty four minute offering that tends to reveal more with each listen, opening on “The Aphelion Complex” the first single from the album which dropped back in December, an attention grabbing, up tempo, thrash edged piece with reflective midpoint interlude and soaring second half melodies described by the band as “An angry trip to the infirmary” a track that has you hooked from the first listen.
“Transorbital Decay’”is a dark intense chunk of ‘core’ with exciting swathes of lead work and melody, I like the vocals both here and across the album, a heady mix of growls and cleans and acerbic screams.
A simple but catchy guitar repeat, superseded by vocal harmonies that are offset against the harsh delivery that follows , the repeat mix of this makes “Anamnesis” a fascinating and engaging listen, one of my favourite tracks, turning with beautifully reflective from midpoint with a final crushing onslaught in the final minute. “Burial Plot” is a deceptively complex track with a slightly technical feel and in complete contrast “Biomite” goes for a harmonious and reflective opener but this soon changes as it’s a rapid builder, becoming punchy and technical shortly after, along with some superb riffs and even a bit of a groove.
“Sol” is harsh, vitriolic and driving, with an emotional lyrical edge, then on “Carnival Dread” a catchy technical opener grabs your attention from the start, with a sublime ebb and flow between, a meld of reflective and brutal as it progresses, with a quirky segment in the second half that has an eccentric charm, a very nicely constructed piece of music. A Demon’s Pawn and The Abyss” has a ‘bendy’ discordance that is fascinating, developing into a sharp punchy track interspersed with that crazy ‘bendy element’, a few blackened riffs for good measure, whilst still maintaining a harmonious edge.
Onto the next two tracks titled “The Vile, Raptured I“, the first, a brief powerful yet melodically emotive two minute slice, the second, “The Vile Raptured II” is more intense, darker, with a punchy brutal delivery, with a contrasting soaring repeat that adds a well placed melodic edge, ultimately they are both a great listen.
Ending on “Dystory” a brutal and punchy track that has a sublime technical groove coursing beneath, a magnificently layered closing piece with the line we can all relate to “I remember the day I woke up on the wrong side of my head” and the rest of its lyrics are even more profound and relatable, made more so by the harsh vocal delivery.
“Day Terrors” is out now as an independent release, a very modern and intriguing listen.
Rating – 4.5 /5
The Metal Wanderlust 
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