"I Thought There was the Sun Awaiting my Awakening" is the debut release from relatively new black metal duo DIĜIR GIDIM. They have interesting lyrical themes listed on Encylcopaedia Metallum; these are Ancient Mesopotamia, Esoteric doctrines, Cosmology, Philosophy. With a list like that, I wondered if I would get an album filled with the kind of atmosphere which would evoke a sense of awe. While their sound bears a good deal of resemblance to DEATHSPELL OMEGA, multi-instrumentalist Utanapištim Ziusudra puts in a good performance on drums and guitar, and vocalist Lalartu brings in a touch of creepy grandeur with his hisses, screams and clean vocals.

Unfortunately, the songwriting isn't as good as DIĜIR GIDIM's similarities to DEATHSPELL OMEGA would suggest. While "The Revelation of the Wandering" starts of promisingly with its relentless pace and atonal chords, it ends up being a mishmash of change-ups which don't really go anywhere. "Conversing with the Ethereal" is more focused, while still having interesting songwriting. The guitars on the latter are multilayered, with some unusual tones. The harmonized clean vocals add to the "ethereal" in the title. I liked the sinister feel and doom-metal-like pacing in the opening section of "The Glow Inside the Shell", with Lalartu turning up the inhuman factor in his vocal performance. Distant riffs float in and out, as if underwater. The harmonized clean vocals add an unexpected touch of pathos. While closer "The Eye Looks Through the Veils of Unconsciousness" has some good moments, perhaps it could've had a bigger impact had it been shorter in length. This is not to say that black metal songs shouldn't be long, just that all of the elements need to serve a distinct purpose.

The production didn't quite work here, with the drums sounding somewhat tinny, and the bass was very hard to hear. From what I could tell, the guitars got a somewhat better deal, since the various melodies seemed to have a good deal of space to weave in and out of each other. The duo behind DIĜIR GIDIM are certainly capable musicians, but I think that with some conciseness in their songs and further development of their own sound, they'll create something which could make a listener feel truly awed.