Tiamat

A Deeper Kind of Slumber (Century Media)
by Chaz Thorndike

The problem with soothingly dark music (call it doom, black, or dark ambient depending on ingredients and their ratio in the recipe) is that it threatens to overlap the past mistakes of the overground. Paradise Lost sounds kinda like Depeche Mode with heavier guitars, Nephilim sounds like throwaway Ministry trackmarks (and that’s Skrew’s territory) with absurdly somber lyrics, and Tiamat goes beyond Pink Floydian soundscapes into almost ’80s dark synth pop. Remember Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, and all that “scary” stuff? OK, so that’s a worst case scenario, but when gorgeous production (courtesy of Waldemar Sorychta again? CM’s boost sheet makes no mention, gives no credit) is the main difference between dark, heavy music and the black eyeliner and incense-burning Goth geeks of the past, it’s time to voice concern. A Deeper Kind of Slumber slinks like a sensuous nightmare, but compared to Wildhoney, which started with a roar and ending breathing shivers along your spine, this ain’t progress, this is honing the latter half. While this doesn’t match Wildhoney in diversity or almost concept-album smoothness, Tiamat are still masters of the dark realm.