Review: Brotherhood of Sleep - Enter the Nuummite Cosmos

Artist: Brotherhood of Sleep

Album: Enter the Nuummite Cosmos

Label: Zazen Sounds

Release date: January 2026

The only thing better than discovering unknown artists is them discovering me. Such is the case with the ritual ambient project Brotherhood of Sleep, which landed in my inbox almost by chance a couple of weeks ago. Of course, unknown should be taken with a grain of salt here, because first, Brotherhood of Sleep had already released one album in late 2024 on Winter-Light which somehow flew under my radar (to my shame), and second, the project's mastermind is none other than Bart Piette, a long-standing Belgian artist who's been dabbling in dark sounds (primarily through his main project Dead Man's Hill) for the better part of three decades. Add to that the intriguing abstract cover art and album title, and the journey is a very promising one to start with.

Of course, none of the above guarantees that the music will be good, as ritual ambient is a notoriously difficult genre to pull off successfully without ending up gimmicky or simply flat and uninspiring. Luckily, Brotherhood of Sleep manages to avoid those pitfalls, offering an album that's just as layered in terms of music as it is in terms of meaning (exploring some of the concepts hinted at by the album and track titles pushed me down a very interesting rabbit hole of esoteric exploration, and I strongly suggest you do the same while listening). The opening track wastes no time in setting the mood, with deep rumbling drones, guttural throat-sung chants and a wealth of industrial elements setting the mood for the rest of the album. There is no instant gratification on Enter the Nuummite Cosmos, as it consists of five elaborate tracks, each pushing past the 10-minute line and rarely revisiting the same soundscapes, focusing on storytelling and evolving atmosphere rather than repeating themes to give the tracks a backbone. In fact, one wouldn't be amiss in calling this cinematic ritual ambient, as the album is positively dripping with atmosphere and a sense of brooding uncertainty, particularly in its careful application of dissonance and occasional rhythm sections that increase the intensity of the otherwise rather calm (if not exactly peaceful) journey. The chiming last track does a great job increasing the sense of wonder, even if it doesn't provide any conclusion or definitive answer as to what is awaiting on the other side of this journey.

In sum, Brotherhood of Sleep doesn't break much new ground in terms of music or instrumentation, but it manages the much more important feat of setting a consistent atmosphere and keeping you engaged and wondering for almost an hour. It's much more complex than it seems at first listen, and I found myself coming back to the album often to try and discover its hidden facets. It's a very rewarding listen for fans of subtler, more esoteric forms of ritual ambient, and I eagerly recommend it to those with the patience to appreciate it fully.

Rating: 8/10