An Abstract Illusion – The Sleeping City

Metalcatto

I was there when An Abstract Illusion released Illuminate the Path and blew me away. Little did I know the band could reach even greater heights with Woe. Ever since Opeth traded Progressive Death Metal for Dadcore, Sweden hasn’t had a band to carry that torch. Meanwhile, scenes in Australia, Norway, and Germany have been thriving, building names of their own. But it was about time someone from the land of meatballs and cinnamon buns responded with authority. The Sleeping City could be that answer. The catch? The band is stepping into an almost impossible challenge. I mean, Woe was the Prog album of 2022, right? Let’s go.

From the opening moments, The Sleeping City unfolds like a rollercoaster of emotions — sadness, joy, anger, awe. They’re all here, woven into one of the most visceral yet complex portraits a Metal band has painted in years. Only Ne Obliviscaris or Wilderun come close to this kind of depth. Some passages hit me with the same gut-wrenching grief I felt when I lost my father; others filled me with a warmth so intense it felt like light breaking through storm clouds. The City is always shifting — moving from absolute horror to ecstatic release — and it wraps you in shadow while devouring everything in sight. The band set out to create a classic sci-fi dystopia, and it’s succeeded. Honestly, if Blame! had a soundtrack, this would be it.

Compared to Woe, the band has stripped away many of the long, spoken passages, leaning instead toward the more melodic approach of its debut. But this isn’t regression — it’s refinement. There’s more maturity here, more impressive technical writing, and above all, a clear sense of purpose. The complexity never feels like a gimmick; every note and rhythmic shift serves the story. Tracks stretch past the ten-minute mark, yet time seems to dissolve. The production is exquisite, revealing the smallest details in a mix that matches the ambitious scope of the music. Prog often gets criticized for becoming an emotionless workout, but if there’s ever been a Progressive Death Metal album driven by raw feeling, it’s this one. Even if you hate extreme music, the sheer craft and vision here are undeniable. It’s the kind of record that feels bigger than our niche.

If I’m nitpicking, I could say every track runs long, or that “Silverfields” feels a little overshadowed by the monumental weight of everything around it. But when execution is this strong, who cares? An album can be pretentious or Don Quijote-like in length as long as it keeps you wanting more — and this one does. Some might find the sound a little too clean or loud, but I’d argue: how else are you going to appreciate the microscopic level of polish these ideas require? The real question is whether this surpasses Woe. I’m not sure yet… but it just might.

An Abstract Illusion is now the band to beat in Progressive Death/Black Metal — no doubt about it. It’s taken strange, diverse influences and melted them into a singular vision of the human condition. The City is beautiful, poetic, and devastating in equal measure, and no other Metal album this year has made me feel quite like this. In an era where we all dread machines replacing art, this album is proof we won’t “go gentle into that night.”

Label: Willowtip Records

Release date: October 17, 2025

Website: https://anabstractillusion.bandcamp.com/album/the-sleeping-city

Country: Sweden

Score: 4.5/5.0, yes, believe the hype!