“Stuperous,” in case you were wondering, is a word found in the dictionary. It means “stunned or confused and slow to react (as from blows or exhaustion)”. Synonyms include dazed, foggy, groggy, and lethargic.
A strange choice for a metal band name, you might think, especially a band whose music stands as an antonym for “stuporous”. Momentarily, you’ll see why we think that.
As for the band itself, it’s the brainchild of Floris Velthuis, whose name you might recognize as the main person behind the unorthodox black metal band Meslamtaea. In Stuperous he’s joined by trumpeter Izzy Op de Beeck, who’s also part of Meslamtaea, and singer Devi Hisgen, who we’re told works in psychiatry, a useful specialty in the context of the trio’s debut album Asylum’s Lament, given that the lyrics are about mental disorders and depression, based on true events in a psychiatric facility.
That album is now set for release on January 25th by Void Wanderer Productions and War Productions, and what we have for you today is the premiere of the album track “Decorating the Willow Tree“.
As described above, the words and vocals on Asylum’s Lament are intended to make listeners identify with the mental suffering of the people whose experiences are the subject of the album. The vocals on “Decorating the Willow Tree” do sound schizophrenic, like a wreath of madness woven with crackling snarls, shattering screams, and haunted wails. But the surrounding music also sounds conflicted, both disturbed… and glorious.
Shrill eerie tones shiver above a heavy stalking cadence. The music powerfully jolts the spine but also submerges the senses in ethereal audio mists. An elegant piano melody ripples through hammering beats and majestic ambient clouds… but, with a prelude furnished by dismal spoken words, the music erupts in a typhoon of blasting drums, rapidly pulsating bass, deranged riffing, and berserk yells and shrieks.
And thus the song is not only dreamlike and enthralling but also ruinously unhinged, and when a horn lifts its own enthralling voice above steady beats and growling undercurrents, the song becomes a soulful lament. Yet the music rises again in splendor, with the piano again leading the way, in arms with compulsive rhythms.
It’s a fascinating piece of music, one that defies simple genre categorization — a rendering of inner dreams that’s both nightmarish and yearning, harrowing and nostalgic, and although the dreamer may be severely damaged, we’re reminded of their humanity.
No, there’s definitely nothing stuporous about this song….
Stuporous (the band) were responsible for the recording of Asylum’s Lament. Floris Velthuis handled the mixing, and Devi Hisgen the mastering. Credit for the cover art goes to Gordiart.
The album will be available on CD and digitally. Ordering info will be available here:
https://voidwanderer.com/product/stuporous-asylums-lament-cd/
https://voidwandererproductions.bandcamp.com
https://war-productions.org
https://warproductions.bandcamp.com/