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"Desolation and morose feelings never felt so satisfying. Utter despair, whilst looking down into the abyss. Michigan’s Ganon can produce these sounds with their instruments. It is epic and apocalyptic. Ganon interweaves sadness and distortion so well, this five song soundtrack is literally to die for. Atmosphere is the name of the game here. There are definite leanings towards Neurosis and Helmet in sound and execution. However the biggest parallel I heard was with the now defunct Rune. Granted there are not blast beats and obvious Morbid Angel references, but the sound of total solitude and depression is the same. Let the sadness flow and envelop the night."
"The sound conjured by Detroit's Ganon in the opening moments of 'Lifting Skies' crashes over you like a tidal wave, then pulls you into the dark ocean of nothing. The fluidity of chaos is what it's all about with Ganon, so smooth is their transition from gentle harmonics to obliterating proto-doom. There's simply nothing to grab onto here, emotions shifting like the colours of dusk, finally turning an ashen gray to remind you that sometimes escapism is the only means of survival. Shades of Isis and Keelhaul are admittedly abundant, but where the former is wont to wash its soundscapes with a more bass-heavy tone, Ganon used three guitarists for this album, each slashing through the dense fog of Ganon's music with cascading scales and leaden riffs to create something truly original."
"Ganon’s artfully crafted journey into layered heavy ambience and Neur-Isis-core is a very, very respectable and under the radar effort that deserves the attention of fans of the genre. Covering all the genre’s bases of ebbing, tidal builds, introspective segues, mountainous layered peaks of heft and emotional roars, this Michigan sextet’s tangibly Isis and Pelican influenced rock is as solid as it gets. The typically thick production and focus on heavy peaks and valleys rather than extended tangents into drawn out spacey/acoustic/clean vocal segues also make In the Dead of Sleep a relatively quick listen that does not require a whole day of illegal drugs and a semi-conscious state to absorb. Combined with lush artwork and thoughtful lyrics, the end result is almost an Isis album for those with little patience or short attention spans, like me."
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