Canadian Progressive Death SYMBIOTIC GROWTH’s New Album “Beyond The Sleepless Aether”
Canadian progressive blackened death unit Symbiotic Growth unleashes their sophomore album “Beyond The Sleepless Aether,” now available as of March 28th, 2025. Similar to the band’s predecessor, their 2020 self-titled full-length, “Beyond The Sleepless Aether,” is once again based in fiction and is lyrically conceptual, but dives more into thoughts and emotions of everyday life, and sometimes those thoughts are hard to deal with.
“I feel like this time around, the sound is a bit darker and experimental, with more synth-heavy sounds and a melancholy atmosphere. The lyrics were very loosely inspired by a dream I (Aaron) had about the multiverse theory intertwined with some of my challenges of dealing with a sense of being and why we are all here,” says Aaron Barriault (Vocals, Guitar, Bass).
Progressive, experimental, foreboding, and emotional, every song has its own identity and its place within the album’s story, taking its protagonist through the multiverse, placing him in places like dark wooded forests, wide open desert landscapes, and the unending cosmos.
The full-length listening experience tackles strong topics of loneliness, a sense of being, self-hatred, and suicide. Some of these are blatant and easy to see, and others subtly, throughout the course of the album, lyrically and musically.
“I think the fans who have heard our previous album may be a bit surprised; the sound of this album is a bit different; it’s a little bit more experimental in its own way. Either way, we hope that fans enjoy what we’ve created. I feel like the listener may have feelings of uneasiness and wonder. An odd combination, but I feel like it’s fitting.“
Mixed and mastered by Tom Maclean (Twelve Tone Studio, Haken, Athemon, Brutta), “Beyond The Sleepless Aether”, features seven paryalzing sounds of technical metal created by the Sudbury, ON recording line up of Aaron Barriault (Vocals, Guitar, Bass), Devin Mcqueen (Vocals, Guitar), and Dan Favot (Drums)(ex-Wolven Ancestry, ex-Fractal Generator). The artwork was created by Erskine Designs and shows an entity standing at the foot of what the band likes to think of as Azathoth.
“The album doesn’t touch on any Lovecraftian mythos (maybe a bit in The Sleepless Void), but the lore behind Azathoth, that we are all in his dream and once he wakes everything will cease to be, is very fitting to the album lyrically,” adds Barriault.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
We’re Aaron and Dan from Symbiotic Growth. Aaron plays guitar and does the vocals, and Dan plays the drums
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Our recent release, “Beyond the Sleepless Aether” is a conceptual album about the multiverse theory and tough topics of suicide and loneliness. We’ve been working on this album for the last 5 years, and during it came a few roadblocks (like a musician’s worst nightmare – corrupted hardrive with no backup files). But we’ve pulled through everything and are super happy with the album.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
We use a variety of ways to write. Some tracks are written by a single member and then embellished by the rest of the band. Other tracks are completed start to finish with the entire band using a “quiet” jam method, where we use an electric kit and low volumes to come up with material. It’s nice cause we’re able to talk to each other while playing.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
No tours for the time being. We unfortunately lost a member right before the release of this album, and that puts a hindrance on any live performances for now, but we are on a search for a new member and hopefully we can play some live shows soon.
As for additional content, we are planning on doing a lyric video and a possible playthrough also.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Finding good members and writing your first album is always a good highlight in a musician’s career. Albums tend to get harder and harder or take longer and longer to write unless you stay inspired. Realizing that proper inspiration is key for each album is another turning point.
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