5772 by 夢遊病者
Him004
Release date 13/11/2017 on digipack
Later on vinyl
夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) was essentially born in three places and has been in existence since 2015. The members hail from Osaka, Tver, and New York, becoming acquainted online. The mantra of the band, if any, is to take cues from the improvisational school of jazz and the cathartic nature of ritual folk music and couple it with the raw energy of bands like Voivod and GISM. Thematically and conceptually, the lyrics and much of the visuals focus on different cultural traditions and ceremonies as well as familial experiences.
Whereas the first EP, 統合失調症の飢餓, was done entirely remotely from each respective locale (much akin to an "exquisite corpse" exercise and then mixed and mastered), 5772 was tracked live in a single location. A week of time was planned to get everything down as quickly as possible, relegating to overdubs for any additions. Everything was then mixed and mastered and pressed to cassette for the first pressing. The whole of the record is focused on cultural rituals, specifically related to death. The digipack, LP, and cassette reissue versions have been remastered.
"The free structured experimentalism, that may take influence from the rich history of Japanese psychedelia, is harnessed expertly, creating a whole that is wild, unpredictable and completely absorbing." Ninehertz
“I can’t really stress enough how important and totally fucked this band is. It’s one of those superlatively precious things that will just pop out of nowhere once in a blue moon and which must be immediately absorbed and kept jealously.” — cvltnation.com
“There’s no genre for this. It’s an improvisational-sounding mindfuck.” — aversionline.com
“This is like a fucking horror movie soundtrack...This is some bizarre, ghostly, experimental, psychedelic, melodic—altogether insane grind/death/black/thrash/ noise-rock...I don’t even know, it’s something else.” — metalinjection.net
“Sleepwalker have an out-of-nowhere curiousness that makes them a bit frustrating to peg, and an adventurous psych-rock vibe harking to some of Keiji Haino’s work with Fushitsusha.” — sputnikmusic.com
Tracklist
| 1. | Empty Urns | 2:48 |
| 2. | White Linen | 4:21 |
| 3. | Plain Wood | 3:11 |
| 4. | Black Ribbon | 3:46 |
| 5. | No Flowers | 4:45 |
| 6. | Only Stones | 2:56 |
