Album Review: Karpenter – Sleepless (Rockshots Records)

Named in tribute to horror movie master John Carpenter, the alternative-metal band that is Karpenter was formed in 2019 by former Fightcast members Filippo Tellerini, Francesco Vicini, and Marco Biondi, along with Federico Conti (Creep), Manuel Nucci and Michele Mingozzi (Figure of Six). By connecting old-school influences with modern-sounding songs, the band aims at keeping the core of the style that characterised the past while projecting itself toward new and original experimentations of sounds and metal sub-genres.

Sleepless will be Karpenter’s debut full length to follow their 2019 singles; Dark Mountain Side and The Hardest Party. Due to be released on May 28th 2021 via Rockshots Records. The album’s tracks are inspired by horror movie themes and characters such as “Shark” influenced by Jaws, “The Manor” for Army of Darkness, “Perfection Valley” for Tremors, and “No Vacancy” for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The band explains in further detail:

Sleepless is a gateway to a hostile and tormented world, where space and time are perceived in a distorted way. Each track hides a story, a tale steeped in fear. You will be dragged into a spooky world devoid of any logic. Tight riffs and cinematic melodies will hit you from the beginning, alternating with darker and more introspective atmospheres.

Horror and heavy metal, forever a match made in heaven… or hell. Karpenter aren’t the first band to use the former to inspire them nor will they be the last. That’s not important, what is important is if it results in quality music which, happily, is very much the case here. Music you can head-bang too with that horror-infused tongue in cheek content layered throughout nicely.

Drawing from the depths of old-school of heavy metal with thrash and speed infusions. We get a consistent high tempo throughout Sleepless, with occasional shifts to darker areas. Led by high-powered riffage, thumping bass and drums, scowling vocals that can hit impressive highs and just a touch of cinematic effects and synth to give it a more expansive taste. Combine all of that with kick-ass horror subjects like Jaws, Tremors and Psycho, and you know this is a winner.

That Karpenter deliver it all with such feverish passion and with a big smile on their face makes for a more addictive listen. It’s daringly dark but not in a ‘drag you down into the depths’ kind of way. Instead, it bleeds power while never veering away from the ‘core’ heavy sound. Ten anthemic blasts of head-banging heaviness that blends horror and heavy metal so very well.

Definitely one not to miss.

Karpenter – Sleepless Full Track Listing:

1. Sleepless
2. Mechanical Sense
3. Perfection Valley
4. Falconer
5. Shark
6. The Manor
7. The Hardest Party
8. The Swamp Thing
9. No Vacancy
10. Dark Mountain Side

Links

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