Astral Sleep – We Are Already Living In The End of Times

Astral Sleep
We Are Already Living In The End of Times
Label: Saarni Records
Out: April 21^st, 2023
Playing time: 46:27

The Death/Doom Metal band Astral Sleep hails from Finland and has been active since 2004. And since 2007, the quartet has been playing in an unchanged line-up. Four albums have been released during this time. However, there is a big gap between 2012 and 2020. The current fourth album “We Are Already Living In The End of Times”, however, was released only three years after its predecessor “Astral Doom Musick”. Does this consistency also ensure high-quality music?

The title track “We Are Already Living In The End Of Times” opens the album and is also the second longest song. After a few sound effects, lower-tuned guitars and oppressive bass lines roar out of the speakers. But everything with a maximum of slowdown. Doom in its purest form, crossing the border to Funeral. Scratchy vocals, but often tending towards clear vocals. In “Torment In Existence” the tempo increases a little, but without really leaving the slow area. Here too, scratchy growls alternate with clear vocals. Oh, wonder at the beginning of “Invisible Flesh” acoustic guitars can be heard. But here, too, the pressure of the Doom sounds soon sets in. And again and again, clean or acoustic guitars can be heard. In contrast, “The Legacies” is a comparably fast song. Fortunately, the quartet also plays epic doom and thus provides variety. “Time Is” tends back towards more atmospheric music. Calm, but powerful. The second longest song opens the album, the longest “Status Of The Soul” closes it. And also belongs to the contemplative songs of its kind.

I like doom. And I like “We Are Already Living In The End Of Times”. And Astral Sleep manages to get variety into the song writing despite all the melancholy and slowness. There is also variety in the vocals. Markus Heinonen masters both the discreet growls and the hypnotic sounding clear vocals, which makes a good three quarters of an hour more than just worth listening to.

Lineup:

Jaakko Oksanen – Bass
Rolle Heinonen – Guitars
Markus Heinonen – Vocals, Guitars
Jiri Pyörälä – Drums 

Track list:

• We Are Already Living In The End Of Times
• Torment In Existence
• Invisible Flesh
• The Legacies
• Time Is
• Status Of The Soul