When it comes to most anticipated releases of 2025, The Sleeping City by Swedish progressive atmospheric death metallers An Abstract Illusion was high on my list. Their 2022 album Woe was a favorite of the year, so my hopes were high for their 4th album. I have to admit, they surprised me with this one. The very first thought I had during my first spin of the album was “What if Vangelis had growls and blast beats?” Jokes aside, read on for some track-by-track devotion.

The album begins with “Black Murmur”. A synth-fueled TRON-like intro leads you into the album. It’s like being on a winding highway that guides you into any monolithic city. Lush layers of synth, glorious melodic guitars, low thrumming bass lines, and pulsating drums create a mysterious and fantastical city skyline. 

The second track, “No Dreams Beyond Empty Horizons,” takes on a very different vibe from the first song. It’s mainly a gloomy song of yearning. I love the morsels of mellotron, the blastbeats, and somber clean vocals that complement the low growled ones well. The lamenting guitar solo at the end is so beautiful as well. I can hear the Blade Runner OST influences folded in throughout.

The third song, “Like a Geyser Ever Erupting,” takes the album on an intense turn with a monster of an intro. The riffs are lower and chuggier, and the blastbeats are prominent with the guttural vocals. The song builds and builds until the middle of the track, where a multilayered vocal of the song title brings about an eruption of sorts. The synth solo here is gorgeous; it’s like neon rain against a stark black sky, coating the land in vibrant color. A cyber city is vibrantly rain-soaked as the melodies grow brighter by the end. 

“Frost Flower” has an orchestral intro; it feels like a movie soundtrack. This song has a dreamy feel, like sunlight on a snowy day, every surface glistens. I adore the way they paired the electronic-style keys and the heavy riffs and vox in the verses; in theory, it shouldn’t pair well together, but it’s a perfect match here. 

Song five, “Emmett,” is a surprising choice for a single, mainly because it’s 11 minutes long. It certainly doesn’t feel like it is, though. This song is a journey in itself! It’s a massive soundscape painted with melodic keys and guitars, and intricate drumwork. Mesmerizing and oh so beautiful!

The sixth track, “Silverfields,” is an instrumental track that is reminiscent of the late, great Vangelis. As a synth fanatic, this was such a delight. It’s the only song under 8 minutes on the entire album! 

As a grand finale comes the title track “The Sleeping City”. This song shines with several lovely instrumental interludes, including a piano section right in the heart of the song, some passionate guitar solos, and, of course, more synths.  

Overall, “The Sleeping City” is an excellent prog metal meets 80s sci-fi OST morph. There are so many layers to this audible cyber city, details that could only be found with multiple listens. Plus, the amount of spectacular keys, synths, and piano alone easily makes this an ‘albums of the year’ listmaker for me.

The new An Abstract Illusion album, The Sleeping City, was released on October 17th via Wiillowtip and available to order here. 

Emily Schneider

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