Review: “Sleepwalker” by Weightless World

A band who have always done things on their own terms and in their own time, Finland natives Weightless World may have been founded in 2011, but they spent six long years at the grindstone sharpening their blades before the release of their debut single “My Devotion” in 2017. As it transpired that was time well spent as their well received 2019 debut album “The End Of Beginning” captured the imagination, introducing an unsuspecting World to a diverse and powerful sound in Metal. Now, after four years the band return with a sophomore album recorded and mixed by Tuomas Kokko (My Funeral, Baulta, Firmir) at Electric Fox Studios and mastered by Joni Vanhanen (Nykypost, Ghost Brigade, Horse Attack Sqwad). A release campaign was started in September 2022, 14 months before the albums release with no less than 6 singles and half the album unveiled in that time, hinting at an album which builds on the foundations of the predecessor…

Lyrically, Weightless World have created a collection of stories orientate around a single character called Sleepwalker, using them to delve into the complex realm of human spiritual growth alongside the raw and often unfiltered emotions that surface when life takes an unexpected turn. Floating between Melodic Death Metal, Traditional Heavy Metal and Metalcore, opening cut “Initiate Restart” has an intriguing blend of clean and unclean vocals which are set off nicely against fast paced riffs and rich melodies bringing to mind “The Crimson” era Atreyu. The adrenaline flows freely with the energetic nature of these performances, big choruses giving that sing-a-long ability as the band set themselves for bigger stages. There are a couple of points where the accenting from Perttu Korhonen is a little off, the beginning of “Speedrun” being a prime example and you can’t help but think that a couple more vocal takes and he would have nailed it, the diction falling fowl of the tempo of the music. A vibrant solo adds some real beauty to “Eyes of a God“, the melodic backing vocals a real throwback to the 1980’s that feels a little over indulgent but we can forgive them because the blistering fretboard action is immense. The first single of the record was “Ragdoll” and Aerosmith jokes aside it’s a powerful cut that lyrically mentioned Iron Maiden before going off an a tangent with a chunky breakdown and a howl at the moon. So perhaps they don’t take themselves so seriously after all.

Tino Kantoluoto brings the funky bass to the emotive “Pitch-Black Rainbow” before the cut builds from its stripped down first half into a bold and brave lyrical undertaking as Korhonen exposes his thoughts, introspective an melancholic. The fist is clenched in hope but there doesn’t seem to be a path of escape until the bitter end. There is an icy chill in the air as the cold winds blow in “Nightmares Are Stories of…” a frozen introduction piece to “What We’ll Become” that allows the later to fire on all cylinders immediately. The return of the unclean backing vocal moments is a welcome one, offering a tasteful sharper edge while the brutal verse after the mid cut melodic break almost sounds like another band. That then flies into a fretboard smoking extended solo that makes this one hands down the finest cut on the record and a really special moment. It is such an epic piece that to should come with its very own health warning. Whether its a guitar or a violin there is a folk infused vibe to “Out of Time“, a cut which flips the script and returns to the Mosh ‘n Roll of the earlier cuts, taking away some of the depth and replacing it with something a little more… je ne sais quoi.. American Hard Rock Radio friendly? Reminiscent of bands like Soil on steriods? It’s no that it’s bad, it’s just that lacks that special quality of what came before it.

An almost schizophrenic vocal moment in the middle of “Sleepwalking” feels surreal as the war drums from Kari Rannila pound alongside some riffs that border on Tech-Metal flamboyance. Again the chorus sounds huge and the musicianship is high grade semtex delivered at the tempo of the damned so it has to be said that sometimes less is more. If they stripped away one or two cuts and trimmed the fat on a couple more then they’d have a leaner, meaner and more focused record for it. “Hopeless Dreams” is a case in point with a spellbinding solo and some 80’s dystopian synths which are really good but it is without doubt a verse and chorus over long. A melancholic final moment, “Step Into Nothingness” has a spoken word and some beautiful piano moments, the deeper lyrical meaning which borders on bleak giving the vocal performance that much more emotive quality. As a record this one will grow on you with multiple listens and certainly has enough going for it to bring you back, it just feels a little over indulgent at times… [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Initiate Restart
2. Speedrun
3. Eyes of a God
4. Ragdoll
5. Pitch-Black Rainbow
6. Nightmares Are Stories of…
7. What We’ll Become
8. Out of Time
9. Sleepwalking
10. Hopeless Dreams
11. Step Into Nothingness

“Sleepwalker” by Weightless World is out 9th November 2023 via Inverse Records