Lethe – When Dreams Become Nightmares (2014)

Many high-quality weird releases make it to our review ‘desk’, but none quite like Lethe and their debut release “When Dreams Become Nightmares”. As a project of Tor-Helge Skei (Manes) and Anna Murphy (Eluveitie) with the help of Eivind Fjøseide (Manes) and others, this band truly delivers a completely unique musical experience that is best described by the uniqueness (and weirdness) of their music, since it is nothing like you would expect.

Opening with the trippy “In Motion”, you are immediately set in the mindset of expecting nothing conventional and hanging on for the ride. Anna’s vocals remind us of Shellyz Raven mixed with some of the experimental stuff from The 3rd and the Mortal on their Ann-Mari Edvardsen years. The tables are quickly turned on the dark “Haunted”, featuring a certain Industrial vibe but with tons of eerie atmospheric elements and Black Metal-ish guitars.

Evoking some The Gathering-esque moments on “Come Look At The Darkness With Me”, Lethe creates a very unique track with so many things going on at once that you need more than a few listens to really enjoy all the layers. “Ad Librum” goes into Doom territories with commanding riffs greatly offset by synths and some very odd (and good!) vocal arrangements. The Trip-Hop influences greatly radiate from the stunning “Love Pass Filter” and “Oblivion”, both with a certain free-flowing Jazzy vibe.

Things keep progressively getting more odd and interesting with tracks like “You”, “Transparent”, and “No Reason”, which explore the more atmospheric/ambient side of the band. The album closes strong with the lounge-esque “When Dreams Become Nightmares”, showcasing a very sultry side of Anna’s vocals.

As a whole, “When Dreams Become Nightmares” is one hell of a weird release that oozes creativity and diversity. Lethe touches so many influences and yet manages to build a signature sound. We particularly enjoyed how the guitar riffs greatly contrast some of the elements, as well as their ability to deliver haunting atmospheric soundscapes that bring everything together. If you like the Trip Hop phase of Ulver, the mellow side of The Gathering, and the overall weirdness of The 3rd and the Mortal’s last releases, you will be in paradise with this one.

Label: Debemur Morti

Release: January 17th, 2013

Genre: Experimental

Country: Norway / Switzerland