Review: ZORNHEYM – The Zornheim Sleep Experiment (2021)

Release Date: 22nd October 2021
Label: Noble Demon
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Tracklist:
01. Corpus Vile
02. An Evil Within
03. Dead Silence
04. Keep The Devil Away
05. Slumber Comes In Time
06. Black Nine
07. The Veiling Of Bettelheims Eye
08. The Revelation
09. Keep Cutting
10. The Madness That Lurks Within (Epilogue)

REVIEW BY: FELIN FROST

Swedish symphonic extreme black metal band Zornnheym need no introduction. Anyway, a brief description of the titanic monument that is this band is always welcome.
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Zorn was part of the iconic act Dark Funeral and, in 2014, created his band Zornheym. In his own words: I was determined to shake up the traditional Metal-meets-Symphony approach.

Zornheym quickly grew from an ambitious idea into a dramatic musical narrative. The debut album tells the story of the fictional Zornheim Asylum based on true stories of detained serial killers with many mental disorders. Zorn and his team conducted several interviews with some of them and watched several documentaries with frightening accounts. Thus was born Where Hatred Dwells And Darkness Reigns. In 2017 the album was released and, I had the pleasure of reviewing this endeavour. The nine album tracks blend a well-constructed symphonic black metal fuse classy dark melodies, crushing riffs, prodigious acoustic guitars, classical instruments as violin, cello, harpsichord. Plus, their “Chorus Tenebris”. Aside, Zornheym created a graphically illustrated story to expand each song.

On 22nd October, the band’s second album, The Zornheim Sleep Experiment, will be released. The album continues the asylum saga narrating experiments carried out in the bowels of this scary place. In addition, Zornheym once again brings a comic book that follows and expands the stories behind the album.

Once again, Zornheym surprises with an album of impeccable musical intelligence and thematic. The Zornheim Sleep Experiment presents unbelievable melodies with exceptional arrangements, breathtaking symphonic tones and prodigious chorus aside from the vocals that continue to show all the power since the first album.
This album surpasses the incredible debut album light-years. I affirm with certainty and without fear of mistakes, the impossibility of The Zornheim Sleep Experiment not be considered the best symphonic extreme metal album of 2021.

Zornheym created a phenomenal musical outburst describing the dungeons stories of their asylum. The first track, “Corpus Vile”, opens to you the doors of the asylum one more time and everything explodes with the instrumental arrangements, sacred choir and Latin texts perfectly sung makes this opener a magnificent track.
I expected a perfectly constructed album. But never anything so frantic and grand. Describing track by track becomes unnecessary and even redundant. All songs are acoustic journeys created with remarkable skills. Nothing, but nothing is missing from this album. Blast beats, fast leads, the stormy melodies, the gloomy growls, the chorus, the clean vocals, the strings, the splendorous guitar riffs and the myriad of interlaced styles and sonic elements that appear in all the ten tracks of this album are stellar.

The work that went into reaching this level of perfection must have been genuinely Herculean and, it paid off. A musical creation like The Zornheim Sleep Experiment has not been around for many years. Well, now, finally, it’s here. It’s exciting for us to be alive this year and have the unique opportunity to enjoy this album.
I find it burdensome that any other extreme symphonic metal effort will impress me as much as this one, at least in 2021.

PURCHASE THE MASTERPIECE: https://zornheym.bandcamp.com/
FOLLOW THE MASTERS: https://www.facebook.com/zornheym

In the players below, a taste of what’s to come: