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Album Review

Arctic Sleep – “Passage Of Gaia” [Album Review]

Passage Of Gaia is the newest release from the Milwaukee-based band, Arctic Sleep. Active for almost 10 years, this is the sixth full-length release from a group that bills itself as “progressive atmospheric doom”. The first thing I noticed when I began listening to this disc was how great the record sounds. While I do think there is a time and a place for raw, edgy records, I have always been a fan of big, slick-sounding productions and Passage Of Gaia fits that bill perfectly. It is clear a lot of time and effort went into getting the sounds and mixes just right, and as such, I think the record benefits greatly.

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Passage Of Gaia is the newest release from the Milwaukee-based band, Arctic Sleep. Active for almost 10 years, this is the sixth full-length release from a group that bills itself as “progressive atmospheric doom”. The first thing I noticed when I began listening to this disc was how great the record sounds. While I do think there is a time and a place for raw, edgy records, I have always been a fan of big, slick-sounding productions and Passage Of Gaia fits that bill perfectly. It is clear a lot of time and effort went into getting the sounds and mixes just right, and as such, I think the record benefits greatly.

Now onto the songs themselves… The first few bars of the disc opener, “The Staircase,” launch the listener on a musical voyage of epic proportions, navigating through a lush musical landscape. Vocals take a back seat on most of these extended musical compositions, but that is not a bad thing as Arctic Sleep mixes in just the right amount of riffs, technical wizardry, time changes, and solid melodic song structure to keep these mostly mid-tempo songs from getting boring. When the vocals do make an appearance, they are deep and rich and reminded me a bit of the late, great Peter Steele (Type O Negative), giving the whole record a slightly haunting, gothic vibe.

Passage Of Gaia is one of those albums that you can listen to repeatedly, taking away something new each time through. Give this one a shot, it has a lot to offer.

Track Listing:

01. The Staircase
02. Terra Vindicta
03. Green Dragon
04. Hyperion
05. Antipode
06. Passage Of Gaia
07. Solar Lament
08. Destroy The Urn

Run Time: 54:23
Release Date: August 21, 2014

Check out the album ‘Passage Of Gaia’

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