26/09/2025
An Abstract Illusion - The Sleeping City Review
They never do the expected! I got to know An Abstract Illusion through my good friend Daniel β best known as themetalinspector. He claimed that Woe was (and still is) a revelation, and I absolutely had to agree. It ended up in my personal Top 10 and remains a record I return to regularly.
Now, three years later, we find ourselves confronted with The Sleeping City. The main question is: can they uphold their level?
Short answer: f**** yes!
The more complex answer: The Sleeping City is not a continuation of Woe β and it doesnβt have to be. It stands tall and mysterious, more intricate, more spacious than Woe or Illuminate the Path could ever be. This new album opens its gates with vast, layered soundscapes and a truly unique blend of death/black progressive metal, paying homage to sci-fi elements and evoking a futuristic, dystopian feel.
We start the record with Blackmurmur, and immediately you notice an enormous sense of aura β a feeling of romance and myth. Of course, thereβs high-quality blast beats, intricate guitar work, and convoluted vocal layers. But one thing stands out even more: the synthesizers.
No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons was the first track I heard, and I had to make a reaction video. It dazzled me. As I said in the video, itβs definitely An Abstract Illusion β yet again, not comparable to their previous records. Itβs a lush sea of layered goodness. For someone like me, who lives and breathes anything atmospheric and dreamlike, this is right up my alley.
One of my favorite tracks on the record is Like a Geyser Ever Erupting, which opens in a weird, chugging orchestral overload and showcases AAIβs growth in terms of innovation. Frost Flower is deeply emotional, with the perfect amount of synth layering. As I mentioned earlier, the synthesizer isnβt just an instrument on this record β itβs a voice of its own, and it makes such a huge difference.
Emmett feels like a classic AAI track and delivers everything a progressive enthusiast could ask for.
Silverfields could be considered the black sheep of the record β an instrumental piece, placed at the right time. Their love for 80s-style electronic/synth music is undeniable, and yet this track serves well as a βbreatherβ before the finale.
The title track, The Sleeping City, opens as mysteriously as the album began, giving the entire record an even deeper sense of conclusion. Itβs a masterful display of musicianship: crisp, clear, and boundless β blending everything into a vast sea of ideas, ending on a romantic cliffhanger with a few soft piano notes.
Itβs hard to put into words how I feel about this record. It took me several listens to fully appreciate the depth and intensity of detail, but in the end, it absolutely pays off.
In conclusion, The Sleeping City is a dreamlike tapestry β an innovative step forward for the progressive metal era.
It will undoubtedly gather monumental praise and elevate An Abstract Illusion into the big league.
Not that they werenβt already there, but by now, everyone should know.
AOTY. 10/10.
An Abstract Illusion