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Oak — The Third Sleep
(Karisma KAR288, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2025-06-16

The Third Sleep Cover art

While Oak's previous album The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise dealt with suicide and featured introspective music heavily influenced by Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, their new album The Third Sleep, takes the band into slightly brighter territory. The third stage of sleep is deep sleep or slow-wave sleep and Oak dives into this realm, weaving different elements such as subliminal voices, heavy beats, Mellotron, piano, and prog metal to create a more outward-facing set of songs. There is still a strong resemblance to Porcupine Tree, but Oak is slowing emerging with their own sound. “Run into the Sun” is a particularly strong song with some great piano melodies. In my opinion, “Shimmer” is the best track on the album. It begins with a gentle intro and a depressing vibe that transforms into a fantastic blend of piano and Mellotron that latches on to your ears. And the closing track, “Sensory Overload,” is the sound of the emerging Oak. It is dark, heavy, and raw with some raucous sax and guttural vocals. With a rich musical foundation that spans classical piano, electronica, progressive and hard rock, Oak is creating a distinctive sound.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Oak

More info
http://oakinoslo.bandcamp.com/album/the-third-sleep

 

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