The diversity of modern day Black Metal is about as wide as any genre of music under the sun; perhaps even the widest. I've heard albums that run from one polar ice cap, through the equator, and clear the way to the other ice cap on the opposite side of the world. Some come in just under what you might call pure "noise," while others have grand compositions and symphonies that would make Bach just another name in the music scene. This is one of the reasons the genre is so alive today. SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS is an Ambient/Black Metal act out of Germany, a one-man project by composer Schwadorf. Although the project was born in 1998, this is actually his first debut full-length release. "To the Elements" contains seven tracks, and a running time of about 44 minutes.

"The Burden" is a haunting opening track. The main riff establishes a doomy, sad sound, complete with low clean vocals that are near chants, echoing off the mountains in a valley of the decayed. "Motions" hears the pace quicken and that "wall of sound" hits you square on. The vocals are now fry but still in the lower range. At about the half way mark, it slows, and the instrumental passage takes in some more ambiance. The song has a noble quality...as there is a special beauty to be found in darkness, if you allow your mind to take it in. As it fades out to nothing, it steals your hope along with it. "The Owl" has a soft acoustic guitar opening, with three and four notes repeating; the last one held for effect. Vocals are whispers in the wind, until a distorted riff slams in at the two-minute mark. From there, the instruments establish a mid-tempo pace while the drums enter into blast beats, as the vocals turn vile. It's a heavy and dark construct mostly, but another delicate acoustic passage suspends the evil for just a while.

"Where in my Childhood Lived a Witch" is a great song title. The slow, marching opening rhythm sounds like an army of the undead on the move. A combination of fierce Death vocals and cleans provides a nice contrast to this villainous track, which is a highlight on the album for me for sure. "Forest Crown" is a short three minutes of ambient, Post-Black Metal offering. It's melancholy and depressing, like watching a flower slowly wilt with the coming of winter's chill. It reminds me of the song that Merry sings in Gondor to Denethor, on the eve of the Battle of Pelennor Fields in Tolkiens "Lord of the Rings." "In the Realm of the Bark" hears the sound turn heavy and strong again, with a traditional Black Metal offering. The ambiance is still there, and one of the things that I appreciate about the sound. Black Metal can be overwhelmingly intense, and this pushes some variegate into the fold. A slow burn is always more poetic than incineration. "Phoenix Rise" closes the album. It has a culminating sound, enveloping many of the elements that we heard in earlier tracks, with energy and haste. It leaves a taste of hope on the tongue in an otherwise beautifully bleak sound. Fans of his work will surely be pleased that he has revived this project. It has soul, character and personality that you can reach out and grasp, and favors a varied texture over straight brutality, though those moments are there as well.