Warthur Emerging from a long hiatus, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum make a triumphant comeback. With an orchestra backing them, absolutely pristine production, and themes as dark and foreboding as any they offered up on their original run of three albums, this is a purified and intensified take on their distinctive musical approach, a terrifying metal-in-opposition meditation on human extinction and other weighty topics which runs the full emotional gamut from ethereal beauty to apocalyptic terror.

Not only do the band sound like they've not missed a beat - and in fact, they never did with many of the members having continued to work with each other in Free Salamander Exhibit, perhaps nodded to in the opening track here. Moreover, they began working on much of this material in 2010-2011 (and SQPR, a This Heat cover, hails from as far back as 2004) and have been gently working on it ever since, meaning this album has been brewed, distilled, and refined over the span of a decade. The end result might be the best expression they've ever offered of their creative vision, a keystone which ties their body of work together and which in retrospect it feels like their earlier albums were building towards all along. With many of the band members equally adept at rock and classical instruments, and Nils Frykdahl giving Mike Patton a run for his money in terms of vocal acrobatics, the Museum deploys its full bag of tricks here expertly, everything used purposefully and thoughtfully to best effect.

For a group which started out resembling an avant-prog take on Mr. Bungle, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum have only forged ahead into yet stanger territory; here they make Mr. Bungle's most alienating moments seem outright smooth and approachable by comparison, but never become dryly technical, maintaining an impressive command of atmosphere and emotion for the whole 66 minute running time.

Warthur The debut album from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, opening with the immediately gripping Sleep Is Wrong, is the shocking answer to the question nobody thought to ask: "What if a band took its inspiration from the most horrifying moments of Mr. Bungle, then crammed in a bunch of influence from Rock In Opposition/avant-prog groups like Univers Zero or Thinking Plague at their most dark?" With Carla Kihlstedt's enigmatic violin work adding an extra dose of tension and widening the sonic palette, and the rest of the group splitting their duties between more conventional rock instrumentation and more esoteric instruments, this is certainly highly varied in sound, but a keen appreciation for their musical influences shines through and makes sure that whilst their approach is highly unusual, there's clearly a distinctive aesthetic vision involved and they're not just making random noise. Grand stuff indeed; their other two albums of the 2000s were great too, but they're clearly building on the foundations already laid by this album. Here is where their truly groundbreaking work took place.

siLLy puPPy Of all the artists to rise from the dead like Lazarus of Bethany in the calendar year 2024, the Oakland based freak show known as SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM was not exactly on my radar. After all, these curators of one of the most surreal Dadaist performance art niches in the entire world of experimental rock and avant-garde metal had a full life with it’s “Grand Opening And Closing” ceremonies in 2001 followed by its most creative and insanely disturbing pinnacle with its following “Of Natural History.” With its third installment “In Glorious Times” the band shifted gears a bit with seemingly nothing left to prove and then closed up shop and presumably down for the count. While rumors persisted it seemed that the creation of the band Free Salamander Exit formed shortly after with album emerging in 2016 announced that the SGM was as history as the fire ravaged fictitious museum of its namesake. But this is SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM and the only thing that can safely be expected is indeed the unexpected.

Seventeen years is a long time for such a creatively insane band to drop off the scene entirely and suddenly reemerge but that is exactly what has occurred in the earliest moments of 2024 when the majestic madness of the SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM has announced its reopening with an invitation to experience its latest exhibit - OF THE LAST HUMAN BEING. Yes, it’s all back and so too are the main curators and partners in crime which has included the mischievous gypsy geniuses Nils Frykdahl, Dan Rathbun, Carla Kihlstedt, Michael Mellender and Matthias Bossi and of course they resurrect their entire arsenal of sound making devices for your listening pleasure. The “Rock Against Rock” troupe has reactivated all the musical mojo that made the first run so magical and once investigated a bit further, it turns out that SGM actually began to write for a fourth album as soon as the third one was complete therefore much of the material presented on OF THE LAST HUMAN BEING actually feels like a natural continuation of where the band left off in 2011. But of course it wouldn’t be SGM without throwing a few curveballs and for that we will always love them.

Perhaps one of the most anticipated returns to the world of avant-prog metal, the new album was made possible by fans crowdfunding the financial creation of it. Perhaps all of those who missed their favorite musical mystics needed to relish in the unsavory thematic events that emerge from the age of the Anthropocene Extinction just needed their fix once again. Well look no further. The band sent out some teaser’s with early video releases for the tracks “Burn Into Light” and “Hush Hush” and proved that they still have that eerie avant-garde connection to the wellspring of ethereal creative conductivity that has once again manifested itself in this larger than life lumpen musicalis from which there is apparently no cure. OF THE LAST HUMAN BEING exemplifies the typical format of the SGM with 13 diverse tracks that take you through the roller coaster ride love affair of avant-prog, freakish metal, psycho-folk, screwball cabaret all the while narrating the musical maelstrom with some of the most head-scratching themes and lyrical content in the world of art rock. The wait is over and the feast is ready for serving. The album is just under 66 minutes long.

Fears of a botched comeback gone wrong are extinguished very quickly as the opening “Salamander In Two Worlds” evokes the same lullaby pacification that “Of Natural History” exhibited throughout its labyrinthine callithump. The tintinnabulation of xylophones and glockenspiels with Nils Frykdahl’s familiar vocal tones feel like a long lost friend. The track exhibits all those bittersweet contradictory musical factors: avant-prog time signature workouts and insane instrumental interplay that these gifted musicians are now famous for. The title makes you wonder if it refers in code to the announcement that SGM and Free Salamander Exit will exist simultaneously although literally the track actually refers to Theodora Kroeber’s biography “Ishi In Two World” which narrated the last known member of the Native American tribe, the Yahis. Ishi became a living museum exhibit and apparently now an exhibit at everyone’s favorite Dadaist institution.

While the opening track exhibits the SGM’s propensity for cleverly crafting intricately delicate melodic developments fortified with all kinds of complexities and dynamic shifts, the following “Fanfare For The Last Human Being” seems to extend back to Rathbun and Frykdahl’s Idiot Flesh days with a marching band type musical procession only embellished by violin-fueled folk and a Stravinksy classical flavor however it is a short instrumental and the third track “El Evil” jumps into the more familiar straight on metallic rockers of “In Glorious Times” only showcasing Carla Kihlstedt’s amazing violin shredding capacity. Strange tribal rhythms, erratic industrial guitar freneticism in avant-funk mode accompanied by Frykdahl’s best possessed by sheer evil vocal performances ensure that this album has lost none of the creative fortitude of its predecessors. All fears of an botched project have officially dissipated at this stage! Woohoo!!! And damn how do these MUSEUM curators make evil so fucking addictive!

The band has also lost none of its propensity for keeping the album flowing in different directions with the chimes of “El Evil” ceding perfectly into the chime-rich short instrumental “Bells For Kith And Kin” which makes you feel like you’ve been teleported to some Tibetan monastery! Next up “Silverfish” which allows Karla Kihlstedt to pacify the soul with her Bjork-ish vocal delivery. Dark and brooding the track begins as a Chelsea Wolfe type of dark ambient pop sound only with a melancholic jig styled violin accompaniment which offers a strange bedfellow with the witchy spell casting lyrical delivery. The following “S.P.Q.R.” actually dates back to 2004 and features one of the most frenetically demented bass runs of the band’s entire output. As the group sings along in unison it almost sounds like some bizarre ritual as the bass and violin shred like Pagini with eerie brooding atmospheres oozing in from the ethers.

“We Must Know More” is another throwback to the marching band rich Idiot Flesh days. Completely devoid of bass and guitar, the track features a tuba, trombone and Frykdahl delivering a sermon of surreality. The catchy melody is almost of commercial jingle value. Perhaps the catchiest track the band has ever released, at least the most accessible. Think of a barber quartet gone psycho-marching band and you’ll get the gist. “The Gift” jumps back into the brooding darkness and the jarring avant-prog musical processions that hop, skip and jump between slow passages and then erupt to fully ignited avant-metal rampage. In other words, it’s SGM caliber weird! “Hush Hush” comes next. One of the videos that served as a sneak peak is actually not indicative of the album as a whole. A tender ballad SGM style narrated by a fragile Carla Kihlstedt, the is brooding and stays in an eerie downtempo sort of speed with Kihlstedt’s vocals soft and contemplative however even this track breaks into a metal sequence in the middle before Kihlstedt regaining control

“Save It!” is one of the most spastic tracks and sounds like some sort of industrial avant-funk, something like you would expect if Primus and Einstürzende Neubauten were collaborating forces with Univers Zero. “Burn Into Light,” also released as a video, visually showcased a bizarre collision of a crow-human alchemist and humans seeking magical knowledge beyond their ability to control. The video was captivating and creepy as hell and what the musical score offers is no less so. An industrial metal rocker with the expected avant-prog workouts, this track fires on all pistons including Kihlstedt’s controlled violin contributions. “Old Grey Heron” is actually the longest track at 7 1/2 minutes. A tale of a heron who only wants humanity to get it together before the extinction event occurs, this post-rocker resembles the track “The Creature” from “Of Natural History” at least in Frykdahl’s lyrical delivery. The music is less punctuated by avant-prog stabs and rather remains calm and calculated and perhaps the most free-flowing track the band has thus penned. The time signature workouts are kept to a minimum and the minimalist approach (by SGM standards) ensures the message is uninterrupted. Even the metallic heaviness is more like a “normal” alternative rock / metal band than anything remotely SGM. The trumpet adds a nice mariachi band touch.

You have to put your rose-colored glasses on for the album’s grand finale, “Rose-Colored Song” which bookends the album much like it began with a tinkling of a glockenspiel that resembles a music box and a fairy tale soundtrack quality with psycho-cabaret overtones. As the Disneyland-esque theme park ride giddiness cedes to bizarre industrial sound effects, the sputters on aimlessly allowing a dark brooding atmosphere to slowly bid you farewell from the latest MUSEUM exhibit. Once against the light and the dark wrestle for world domination and once again a truce of the forces keeps the cliffhanger in perpetual motion. And then it’s done leaving you to wonder how this album stacks up against its predecessors. Well after a few spins already, i have to say REMARKABLY WELL! With nothing left to prove it seems that SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM was content to simply mine its entire history in order to retain a sense of familiarity yet allowing new ideas to organically coalesce into the greater mix. In other words this album exceeded all expectations and proves to me that this band of musical troupes really is one of the most creative forces on the planet par none.

OF THE LAST HUMAN BEING really does feel like a continuation of the band’s earlier trilogy and although i have heard no announcements of the band’s future, we can only hope that at least another trilogy is on the drawing board. While my expectations were set low as to avoid any disappointment whatsoever, it comes as one of the most pleasant surprises of 2024 that a band so talented could pull off a proper comeback nearly two decades down the pike. A brilliant and instantly palatable set of tracks will allow any fans to instantly regale in past endeavors only set to the immediacy of the 2020s. Perhaps a bit more accessible than the albums that preceded but only in a way that is logical and allows the continuity of the album’s entire run to play out. It’s true that the metal aspects of “In Glorious Times” have been tamped down quite a bit but on the bright side the playful and often giddy larger playground of instrumentation that was so missed on the previous album has returned to generate one of the most ingenious album experiences of the 2020s. SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM is not only back with a new exhibit but one has produced yet another masterpiece of magnetic music magic unlike any other. Oh rejoice for the pleasures of life are too fleeting and too few.

siLLy puPPy The final chapter of the original three albums from Oakland, California’s SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM before they took an extended hiatus. Pretending they were Spinal Tap and losing a drummer every album, so too does the third album IN GLORIOUS TIMES find the arrival of drummer Mathias Bossi who replaced Frank Gau. Bossi, a seasoned drummer played in a series of challenging bands including The Book of Knots, Skeleton Key and Vic Thrill. Bossi also would marry Carla Kihlstedt, SGM’s amazing violinist / vocalist who returns for another stunning performance. Once again, the band delivered another hour plus worth of complex experimental avant-prog metal with a totally new direction.

While the band’s first two album’s were very theatrical in a demented Vaudville fashion with the music matching the wild performance art routines, on IN GLORIOUS TIMES the band streamlined its sound into a heavier avant-garde metal juggernaut with more inspiration from “Red” era King Crimson or the Swedish prog revival bands like Anekdoten, Sinkadus or Landberk only with a razor-sharp metal edge. If “Of Natural History” was SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM’s magnum opus to prove they were the worthy successors of the mighty Mr Bungle, then IN GLORIOUS TIMES was the answer to Mike Patton’s Fantômos, only SGM had a knack of keeping everything distinct and original no matter how many nods they dished out to past masters. In that regard album #3 delivers with abundance.

A noticeable more brash and metal oriented album from the very start, “The Companions” insinuates the band is back with fairy-tale dreams in avant-folk forests but in reality only stirs up brooding atmospheres that erupt into chaotic discord. Once again graced by Nils Frykdahl’s poetic prose set to a demented Gothic crooning persona, the opening track allows a bit of creepy melancholy to sink in but for the most part the album just let’s loose with more focus on the heavily distorted dissident guitar workouts than the myriad detours into a labyrinth of musical genres that the first two albums dished out unapologetically. “Helpless Corpses Enactment” jumps right to it with crazed chord progressions laced with brutal prog time signatures and a demented vocal tirade of Frykdahl proving his metal game is on par with any of the scariest screamers, growlers and rage against the machiners out there.

Carefully constructing the right gloom and doom is the name of the game before the volcanic eruption of metal mania detonates its might. “Puppet Show” almost begins as an avant-prog tribute to Magma with the entire band engaging in a vocal sing along but cedes to a demented dissonant piano that seduces the violin into a game of contrapuntal warfare. The strategy of IN GLORIOUS TIMES is to simplify the musical approach and let the creative music mojo manifest in other ways, in this case in contrapuntal instrumentation that weaves massive webs of avant-prog counterpoints and unusual syncopative approaches. While the guitar, bass, violin and drums almost completely dominate this album with an almost total abandonment of all those clever self-made tricks and trinkets that Dan Rathbun decorated the first two albums with, softer passages do allow some intricate percussion and lullaby effect sounds to be heard.

Unlike the previous two albums, IN GLORIOUS TIMES doesn’t flow perfectly with a few tracks like “Formicary” not jiving as it feels like a forced display of avant-prog technicalities without the melodic build up to justify it. The following “Angel Of Repose” finds Carla Kihlstedt in the vocalist’s seat and on this one she channels her inner Bjork and sounds like the Icelandic diva only set to an oddball mix of psycho-jig fiddle playing and avant-metal extremism. It’s a bizarre track but it only sets the stage for the most crazed and unhinged track of all, the heavyweight “Ossuary” which gives a glimpse as to what King Crimson’s “Red” might’ve sounded like if Gentle Giant was invited to join in. The track single-handedly conjures up the most haunting soundscapes of the entire release with jittery avant-prog guitar workouts working in opposition to equally nerve-wracking bass lines, brutal proggy percussion and Kihlstedt’s violin shredding.

The album is on a more even keel than the previous two with the same basic build ups and climaxes with the usual SGM trademarks thrown in for good reason therefore the rest of the album pretty much follows in the footsteps of what has already been established in the first half of the album. Frykdahl trades in his Vaudville persona for some sort of demented psychotic philosopher who tortures himself over some mighty peculiar subject matter. The album is overall more rhythmic although unabashed avant-prog workouts do take things into the wild west for moments of brutal prog orgasmia, the album more or less follows a more controlled musical flow which i find to remind me most of Anekdoten’s earliest albums. IN GLORIOUS TIMES also delivers an abundance of abrasive and grating sound effects like the grittiest industrial harsh noise album there are to be found. Unlike the previous albums that offered a bit of respite on the closing track, “The Putrid Refrain” ushers the album out with shrill sound effects.

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM fans fall into two basic camps: those who love the diverse kaleidoscope effect of the Vaudville meets avant-prog metal of the first two releases and those who love this more streamlined heavy prog meets extreme metal approach of this one. Personally i fall into the first camp but i have to commend SGM for not just copying and pasting its excellence par none of the first two releases. This was a bold and daring experiment that although to my ears not quite as pleasing from beginning to end, nevertheless showcased the darker and more abrasive side of the band where every member was allowed to showcases their stunning virtuosity. This album is more equivalent to sonic terror as opposed to the Disneyland meets Devil Doll style of the early albums. This is one that never really stuck with me but as i’ve revisited it for the sake of this review, i’ve found i’ve been missing out on a very unique and intricately designed album that is quite fascinating in its own right. The more uniform approach allows the band to gel in a way that is absent on the earlier albums. It also allows the vocalists to excel in ways not possible before. An excellent album even if not quite as perfect.

siLLy puPPy Like a traveling circus pulling into town and upsetting the normalcy of a small community accustomed to traditions and customs, SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM entered the scene of the world of progressive experimental rock and avant-garde metal in late 2001 and like a band of freaks who misbehave in the midst of the law abiding citizens of anywhere small town USA, upset the apple cart like a John Waters film suddenly finding itself being played on the Christian TV network. This band of outsider weirdos which evolved from the antics of Idiot Flesh gathered a new set of talent to unleash an ever evolving musical commitment that mixed performance art with musical expressions that unapologetically defied all categorization and intelligently designed to induce serious head scratching disbelief.

Part avant-prog, part extreme metal and laced with folk, funk, industrial and being 100% demented, SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM forever changed the landscape of experimental rock and metal with its debut “Grand Opening And Closing” with its Dadaist musical madness and surrealist visions that incorporated every possible genre into the overall scheme of things. The band regrouped to start album #2 although percussionist David Shamrock who dated back to the Acid Rain days jumped ship and was replaced by newbie Frank Grau. The result was the band’s sophomore effort OF NATURAL HISTORY which found SGM progressing in many ways from its debut release. While the diverse nature of the music continued in the footsteps of its processor, the band became emboldened to tackle even more elements and throw them in the sonic cauldron and boil them all down into a tantalizing concoction of avant-metal splendor.

OF NATURAL HISTORY took on the continuity of a concept album where narrative poetic prose about 20th century anti-humanism found philosophical existentialisms thematically posing the apocalyptic implications of humanity’s existence on planet Earth. With a distinct merging of tracks that seamlessly cede from one distinct mood to another and graced with infallible musical logic, this sophomore album featured an unthinkable roster of 12 tracks that despite extending to nearly 72 minutes of playing time, instantly demanded full attention with authority and once pulled into their gravitational forces upon the listener, refused to release its iron grip until the very finishing touches. While the usual SGM characteristics of yore punctuated every aspect of album #2’s rich palette of ingredients, the band simply refused to stand on its laurels and outdid itself once again. With the addition of many field sample recordings, even more spices were added to the overall recipe.

This time around the band included even more stylistic additions to its already burgeoning musical edifice which in the hands of an ordinary band would crumble like sandcastles in a storm however the musical prowess exhibited by the likes of Nils Frykdahl (guitar, flute, vocals), Carla Kihlstedt (violins, organ, zither, vocals) and Dan Rathbun (bass, lute, trombone, vocals) were of a caliber rarely encountered in the world of experimental music. With the skills of the top classical composers and the creative fortitude of Salvador Dalí, SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM was a serious force to be reckoned with. In addition to the band’s eclectic arsenal of traditional instrumentation was the huge array of self-made instruments courtesy of Dan Rathbun, add to that additional session guests who added the touches of xylophone, glockenspiel and a choir’s worth of backing vocalists. If that wasn’t enough the band’s cohesion reached its pinnacle with tight-knit compositions chock filled with complexities reaching stunning perfection.

Starting with a drone that leaves you in suspense for several seconds, the opening “A Hymn To The Morning Star” enters a strange dark Disney-esque type Vaudeville show from another dimension. With Frykdahl offering his best Gothic baritone deliveries, the track evolves through strange complexities that ends in a second droning session that leaves nothing but darkness suspended in your very soul. Ceding as though a single track, the following “The Donkey-Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion” builds up a dissonant jangly guitar racket before avant-prog scales start whizzing up and down with industrial sounds and a seeming demonic possession taking hold of Frykdahl’s vocal deliveries. With various cadences of bizarre instrumentation and brutal prog workouts, the track exceeds the already complex nature of the first album and setting the tone for an album equally as dense and filled with strangeness.

“Phthisis” follows with Carla Kihlstedt taking over the vocal duties. The track perfectly demonstrates the stunning contrast the SGM takes on. Sensual angel vocals and a soft pacifying violin groove relentlessly backed up by abrasive metal guitar chugging and the usual time signature brutality. The art of emphasizing sheer beauty and ugly aggression simultaneously is brought to full light on this one although that is the general recipe in the SGM playbook. “Bring Back The Apocalypse” comes off as an industrial horror movie with gurgling sounds emerging from some unknown source and unrecognizable instruments chaotically churning along like popcorn popping. Demonic group singing ensues along with a haunting violin. It sounds like indeed a party for the damned just before judgment day rears its ugly head and wipes humanity out. This track employs Squarepusher inspired IDM (Intelligent dance music) to offer yet another unexpected twist in the continuing saga of SGM.

“FC: The Freedom Club” dials things back a bit by offering a more “normal” respite into the world of progressive rock with xylophone dreams and glockenspiel grandeur paving the way for a heavier rock based anthemic celebration of the demise of humanity through its own technological additions. The track also features one of the most manic aggressive outbursts on the entire album. The form of the track is in a whole other league of composition and beyond brilliant. “Gunday’s Child” offers an even deeper dip into the avant-garde with some sort of bass stringed instrument that falls in and out of tune and torturous avant-prog time signature workouts with so many instruments whizzing around on their own trajectory that only the vocal harmonies tie everything together. The fairy tale singing sessions sound like a demented counterpart to some Disney classic gone totally wrong.

“The 17-Year Cicada” provides a bizarre avant-folk instrumental interlude with lots of creepy insect noises, totally unhinged flute lines and some sort of tribal steel drumming. Essentially a nearly 4-minute canvass to punctuate with unexpected percussion sounds and virtuosic flute wizardry. Next up - “The Creature” which is the most profound track on the entire album. Immediately ushering in an avant-prog time signature workout, the complexities cede to an atmospheric narration about a creature that must consume everything until it finally has to feed upon itself and how the pacifist population does nothing to stop it. Presumably a critique on the nature of corporations and the desire to commoditize every living resource until nothing remains. The track is chock filled with extreme avant-prog workouts all laid out in dynamic logical processions. “What Shall We Do Without Us?” provides another short avant-folk interlude with a brief explosive segment into chaos.

“Babydoctor” is the longest track just barely under 14 minutes and introduces the band to the soundscapes of post-rock and post-metal which keeps all the excesses somewhat tamped down. Perhaps the most easily digestible track although the band still offers lots of variations within a more limited constraint. The album closes with the rather strange love / hate ode to the “Cockroach” which seems to revel in its ability to overcome any obstacle and its survival beyond humanity eminent. Presented in the same Gothic crooner style as the album started it evokes the same Disney gone Vaudville effect and offers the strongest sense of irony on the entire album. The album ends with the 6-minute track “Untitled” which really isn’t a track at all but rather just the sounds of swamp noises and a conversation between what sounds like hillbillies of the Ozarks. While this track is utterly unnecessary it’s not really a part of the album and should be considered a skippable “extra.”


One of the true masterworks of 21st century experimental progressive rock and avant-garde metal, OF NATURAL HISTORY is really an album that it’s almost impossible to comprehend upon the first few listening experiences. While the melodies and grooves are just accessible enough to get your attention, the details and the complexities continue to impress as you navigate through the layers of musical sophistication. On this sophomore release SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM proved itself to be one of the most original and creative bands that world of progressive rock and experimental metal had ever encountered. The journey through this album is so rich and packed with ideas that it’s really hard to believe it’s just one release. By fusing so many styles and genres of music and blending it all so proficiently, the band literally ventured into a world of its own making and while experimental avant-garde music is hardly anything new, to create a completely new musical paradigm and master it to a level of proficiency and virtuosity is another matter altogether. This is one of my all time favorite albums and one that really just gets better with time. A true masterpiece in every conceivable way.