COSMIC LAVA:
Already the debut album from UNION OF SLEEP impressed me, but with 'Death In The Place Of Rebirth' this band has released their strongest effort to date. Here we have a heavy slab of dirty, hard pounding rock that beats into your head like a sledgehammer. Compared to the debut full-length, 'Death In The Place Of Rebirth' is much darker and considerably raunchier. UNION OF SLEEP channelled all of their frustration and disaffection into creating some of the most oppressive and filthiest rock ever recorded in Germany. Apparently there is no band around in this country which sounds like UNION OF SLEEP.
The 1970's heavy rock influences have been reduced to near extinction. Instead, the band has further strengthen their hardcore/noise rock basis, but this does not mean that it is therefore easier to categorise their mindblowing sound. And that's one of the reasons why this band is so damn interesting. If I had to invent a drawer for their music, I would call it hardcore rock, but this is just be mentioned marginally. And, quite honestly, it would spoil the fun to limit UNION OF SLEEP to a worn-out category. The riffs and grooves on this album are big and grueling while vocalist Toni narrates bleak stories of the human life. Even in the case of the first record, it became clear that this guys attach great importance to the lyrics, and here too they captivate with ruthless honesty.
In musical terms, the band does a good job at evoking emotions of real wrath and desperation. It's safe to say that some new territory was explored, but nothing that detracts from the overall feel of UNION OF SLEEP. There is just enough complexity to keep you listening from start to finish, and enough driving force to keep your adrenalin boiling the whole way. 'Death In The Place Of Rebirth' is saturated with raw aggression and the excellent production supports UNION OF SLEEP on their mission of destruction. Enough lamenting: Definitly pick this one up. It's the soundtrack to watch the world burn.
(KK)
DOOMMANTIA:
After the crushing brilliance of the first Union Of Sleep album released in 2009, I thought they wouldn't be able to top it unless they changed the sound a little. It was not that they needed to change the sound but the world only handle one album like that and Union Of Sleep already did it. That album came across as an angry sludge-doom-metal-stoner hybrid with the band sounding like their frustration level was at a boiling point. Well, it seems the band are even more pissed off now with this new album and I didn't think that was possible but this one mean half-hour of music. "Death In The Place Of Rebirth" still sounds like Union Of Sleep but with everything cranked up a notch higher, this is more noisy, more abrasive and much darker sounding than the debut recording. The debut album was heavy but they did that via a lot of traditional influences and sounds, this time around the traditional heavy-rock edge has been more or less bulldozed to the ground and replaced with a much more modern vicious brutality. You won't find too many 70's rock vibes (if any) on this beast, instead it has a guitar/bass sound like a cement mixer full of rocks turned up to amp-destroying levels. It is a nasty, oppressive and angry recording that still has some infectious grooves but this time, the grooves are buried in mud and slime.
This German band has always had a hardcore edge but it is more upfront on this record. The opening tracks, "Arms Of God" and "Turn Your Cross" are pummeling tunes that ooze filth from every instrument and turn this up loud, it will pin you against the wall with its bludgeoning sound. Lyrically and vocally, the band dish out tales of the bleakness of modern life but it is done with pure honesty. The lyrics are well thought-out and straight to the point expressions of pain and frustration. Musically you could have compared the band to others before but not anymore, I don't think there is any other band that sounds like Union Of Sleep and with this album, they have a created a sound that is all their's. Songs like the beautifully titled "A Rush Of Piss To The Head" and "Hammer-Coffin-Nails" are short but sweet slabs of sonic intensity, both delivering the goods in under 3 minutes. These kinds of tunes are so brutally intense, you have to go back to replay them just to take it all in. Riffs, grooves and the jack-hammer effect of the pounding energy is draining to the senses. The centerpiece to the album is "The Bridge," which is over 6 minutes of awe-inspiring aggression and pure menace. This track does tend to overshadow the rest ever so slightly given its length but if you are looking for just one song to sum up the band, this would be the one.
The main thing to be gained from listening to this album apart from the sheer, bombarding heaviness of it all is the pure raw honesty that is channelled through their music. Not many bands are complete in music and lyrics but "Union Of Sleep" are the real deal. They have found something special on this recording which I think is the fine balance of killer riffs, hooks, aggressive melodies but with just enough intricate moments to make this a crushing but interesting album. The album is all too short which seems even shorter due to the way the songs flow. Some songs are so short, it is hard to remember them at first but that just gives you another excuse to keep on spinning the disc. Every song is a highlight but "The Bridge" is my favorite tune on "Death In The Place Of Rebirth" but you won't find no fillers in this 30 minutes of punishing, filth-ridden rock, buy it...........9/10
(Ed)
