Outside of my inherent phobias, nothing elicits my fight-or-flight response faster than music that makes me question whether I understand what I’m hearing. After all, at this point, I am no stranger to the weirdest corners of the experimental and the avant-garde sides of black metal; I take pride in knowing what I am up against and how I can convey what I am listening to. However, whenever 夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) decides to rear their head, I can’t help but be afraid. After all, what better way to elicit fear than with their newest album, Skopofoboexoskelett?

Skopofoboexoskelett is an album that hits the ground running. First track “Mirrors Turned Inward” barrels straight into experimental territory without so much as blinking. As soon as the saxophone starts, along with a blurred cacophony of guitars, synths, and dulcimer accompaniment, it no longer resembles music as we understand it. Instead, it’s an infernal symphony, a song that weeds out any melody lovers. The instrumentation here ebbs and flows, restarting each time as if they messed up a note, but then correct and it becomes something akin to free jazz, with a bassline. It’s hard to describe what “Mirrors Turned Inward” is about, but it’s knowing that everything happens and makes sense on a fundamental level that makes it so interesting. If you can’t handle Sleepwalker being Weird, then you are not prepared for what the rest of Skopofoboexoskelett holds.

“Silesian Fur Coat” has a more straightforward introduction, but it’s still noisy and hazy as if the radio has shifted dials and the speaker bursts. While that cacophonous, infernal free jazz still manages to linger, the music keeps it under wraps, using what sounds like winds, xylophone, and other strings to keep it on course. Of the four tracks on the album, “Silesian Fur Coat” is the most atmospheric, a reward for getting through “Mirror Turned Inward” – it is the most accessible and prettiest track on the album. However, under its beauty, there is something incredibly sinister that threatens to creep in, eliciting a sense of fear. If you dwell deep enough into that fear, you might find that the void stares back, and it screeches. Then, there’s the final track, “The Bad Luck That Saved You From Worse Luck” (“The Bad Luck…”), a slower track that uses deeper-sounding instruments, such as the cello and the nyckelharpa. While “Silesian Fur Coat” can be described as “pretty noise,” “The Bad Luck…” is an ambient black metal track through and through. It’s heavy with a fantastic melodic line, experimental and jazzy in parts, but it’s a wonderful track. It might devastate the listener with how punishing it can be – it is quite an auditory experience! – but you already knew that. You just didn’t know how it was going to be.

Not a lot of bands can wear the term “mind-bending” like a second skin, but Sleepwalker wears it incredibly well. Although few bands can come close to Sleepwalker’s blend of chaotic yet jazzy blend of black metal, Skopofoboexoskelett is a testament to the band’s creative output and artistry. Perhaps it’s time to open our minds to a new plane of (musical) existence.

— Hera

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Skopofoboexoskelett will be available August 4 on Sentient Ruin Laboratories. For more information on 夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker), visit their official Bandcamp page.