Ganon
In The Dead Of Sleep
8.2
Synopsis:
While most of the metal community is getting a boner (and deservedly so) over the new Cult of Luna, Envy, Intronaut, Mouth of the Architect and forthcoming Isis records, I’ll be in the corner quietly playing Ganon’s In the Dead of Sleep.
Review:
Though a band named after a child’s video game nemesis isn’t really something I would expect much from, Ganon’s artfully crafted journey into layered heavy ambience and Neur-Isis-core is a very, very respectable and under the radar effort that deserves the attention of fans of the genre. Covering all the genre’s bases of ebbing, tidal builds, introspective segues, mountainous layered peaks of heft and emotional roars, this Michigan sextet’s tangibly Isis and Pelican influenced post rock is as solid as it gets.
If you own any of the bands mentioned so far, Ganon is hardly going to change your metal world with their five lengthy, epic dirges, but they will provide 40 minutes of highly entertaining, competent music. Starting with the virtually instrumental/Pelican start of the nine minute “Lifting Skies”, which does eventually peak with vocals, through the shorter but intense “Approach”, the initial, slightly more experimentally relaxing “Through Wires” (which in true genre fashion builds and peaks to an amazing climax), the steady girth of “It Speaks” and swelling God Speed You! Black Emperor build of gargantuan thirteen minute closer “The Calm of Unlight”, In the Dead of Sleep is pretty much a perfect example of the genre.
The typically thick production and focus on heavy peaks and valleys rather than extended tangents into drawn out spacey/acoustic/clean vocal segues also make In the Dead of Sleep a relatively quick listen that does not require a whole day of illegal drugs and a semi conscious state to absorb. Combined with lush artwork and thoughtful lyrics, the end result is almost an Isis album for those with little patience or short attention spans, like me.
Highly recommended...
