Formed in 2005 ARCTIC SLEEP has released seven full length albums including the most recent "Kindred Spirits". The band has a plethora of styles ranging from Doom to Prog and everything in between. This is one of the most diverse albums I have listened to so far this year. It makes you feel all the emotions from melancholy to pure joy. It is definitely a roller coaster of emotions. It honestly reminds me of something that Devin Townsend would put out, so that's saying a lot.

"Meadows" is where this journey begins and it is a pretty sad sounding song yet it also has it's upbeat moments. I really enjoyed the progression throughout the entire song as well as the tempo changes. I feel that this was a very good choice for the opening track as it is definitely a mood setting song. "Lantern Curse" keeps the pace of the album. This song is honestly really beautiful and written wonderfully. It's only four and a half minutes long but it feels a lot longer because it really draws you in.

"Kindred Spirits" is absolutely stunning. I really love songs that have a sense of bereavement but can also bring a feeling of happiness at the same time. This is a really difficult type of song to pull off. The only bands I can honestly think if that do it well are OPETH, PORCUPINE TREE, KATATONIA and DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. But so far ARCTIC SLEEP is doing a phenomenal job of pulling it off. "Maritime Delusion" sounds like it's getting a little darker than the previous songs. The Doom is really showing and I absolutely love it. I can definitely feel a little anger along with sorrow in this one. Another thing I really appreciate is the length of the songs, not too long and not too short.

"Eternal Sunbeam" is a little more uplifting at the beginning but then the lyrics are depressing as hell. I found myself really feeling down while listening to this song. This song is absolutely brilliant. "Connemara Moonset" is a very amazingly well written instrumental that I thoroughly enjoyed. It's a nice little break in the middle of the album. I highly recommend this one if you are just sitting around and wanting to listen to something really well written.

"Night Mirror" is hands down one of my favorite songs on the album. One minute it's just sorrowful and then out of nowhere it becomes really metal. The change up really surprised me and definitely put me in a better mood. That change in pace was genius for sure. "Cloud Map" is another that really blew me away. Keith D is now one of the best composers I know and Nick's drumming is completely amazing. "Welcome to the Harbor Light" sounds completely different from all the previous songs. It's dark and mysterious yet gives off a sense of change towards brighter things.

"As Palms Give Way to Pines" is the second longest song on the album and it is totally worthy of being that long. In my opinion it's one of the saddest songs on "Kindred Spirits". This song makes it worth the wait to hear it. The final song is "Old Soul" which is just under ten minutes long making it the longest song. It starts of with a very eerie synth and what almost sounds like Cicadas in the background. It almost reminds me of a type of trance music I listen to, to help me sleep at night. It's very soothing and is a great way to wrap up such an emotional roller coaster of an album. My hats off to ARCTIC SLEEP for writing such an amazing piece of art. Congratulations, you have earned yourself a huge new fan!