[Reaper16]

5.) Unexpect – Fables of the Sleepless Empire


Oh, Unexpect. You are what you say you are: unexpected. Well, on one hand I knew what I was getting into. I’ve been waiting so long for this band’s follow up to the remarkable In A Flesh Aquarium (a top 3 album for me in 2006). And it delivered what all Unexpect fans are looking for: songs that take puzzling, baffling twists and turns, songs that are really, truly ****ing crazy, songs that somehow feel natural and organic in spite of the insanity. Unexpect have a male vocalist that talk-sings and a male vocalist that just does harsh vocals and (best yet) a female vocalist that sings all the most interesting of melodies. The drummer and guitarist are talented in classical and jazz stylings, and their sheer versatility shows. The lynchpin of the whole band is the 9-string bass that the bassist uses.

Things get really complex, really quickly. It’s very difficult to describe, so I’m mostly going to let the YouTube links speak for themselves. This is the inner-monologue of the schizophrenic. This album frequently sounds like circus music, but maybe a space circus. Like a more progressive, more technically sound, more insane version of, say, Diablo Swing Orchestra. SO MANY INSTRUMENTS. So many surprising shifts in tone or time signature or atmosphere. It’s a very challenging album, despite being more straight-forward and heavier than their previous album. If you like your metal albums incredibly complex to the point where you are being rewarded over five full listens in (and I am one of those people) then you’re going to love this album.