SLEEP SERAPIS SLEEP – The Dark Awakening

by Natalie Perez

With “The Dark Awakening”, striking a chord with fellow hardcore-metal heads, Sleep Serapis Sleep has achieved amongst themselves a new identify all their own. One of which was spent over the four month span of writing, and recording this considerable follow-up release to 2007’s “Dead Man Walking”.

Sleep Serapis Sleep’s style is upbeat and rather catchy at various points throughout the album’s progression, for instance the stormy overpass of intro track “Questions Unanswered”, after 30 seconds of listening in – the drums begin to gather up the music’s brighter points which cause the guitars to build and then vocals to follow soon afterward.

“Son, Death Is Beauty in Your Eyes”, prefers to allow the vocal chords to do most of the work letting the guitars do their part of sharing but not enough caring is put into perspective here. While a light switch affect of an on/off tone of breakdowns is quite noticeable throughout the entire track drowning out the music right to the core. “Mercy”, manages a mellower effect, maintaining an overlap of guitar riffs mix-matched with over crossed solos with vocal under passes that crosses the music entirely.

“The Dark Awakening”, is sure to be a hardcore pleaser to fellow metal heads with this scene, fans of the Wretched, and Within the Ruins will gladly adjust to this.