The Sleeping City we wanted to explore what the soundtrack to a dystopian sci-fi film, such as Blade Runner or Terminator, would sound like if it were written by a death metal band.
For The Sleeping City, we took inspiration from acts such as Depeche Mode, My Bloody Valentine, Kite, Ólafur Arnalds and Boards of Canada, pushing us to expand and refine our sound palette. Going from the long-song format of Woe, it was a fun challenge to once again write self-contained songs with a clear beginning and end.
During the creation of this album we worked with a great team of collaborators. Produced by the band’s own Karl Westerlund, The Sleeping City was once again mixed and mastered by Robin Leijon. Drums were recorded and produced by Jakob Herrmann (Devin Townsend, Evergrey, VOLA, Vildhjärta) at the legendary Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, who has captured some of our all-time favorite drum tones. The gorgeous artwork, a homage to early black metal’s painted artworks, was done by Alex Eckman-Lawn (Horrendous, Afterbirth, Woe, Nero Di Marte). We also worked with amazing musicians who provided us with beautiful strings and vocals.
With The Sleeping City we truly feel we’ve elevated our craft beyond anything we’ve done before and can’t wait for its release. Thank you all for your continued support!