Sonder (Tesseract album)

Sonder is the fourth studio album by British progressive metal band Tesseract. It was released on 20 April 2018 through Kscope, following Polaris (2015).

Sonder
Studio album by
Tesseract
Released20 April 2018
Recorded2017
Studio4D Sounds (Milton Keynes, UK); Celestial Sound Chicago, Illinois)
Genre
Length36:24
LabelKscope
Producer
Tesseract chronology
Polaris
(2016)		 Sonder
(2018)		 War of Being
(2023)
Singles from Sonder
  1. "Smile"
    Released: 23 June 2017
  2. "Luminary"
    Released: 8 February 2018
  3. "King"
    Released: 16 March 2018
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Metal Injection[3]
Metal Storm8.0/10[4]
Exclaim!8/10[5]

Tesseract began recording the album in 2017, releasing its first single, "Smile", on 23 June, with the intention of reworking it for Sonder.[6] The album's lead single, "Luminary", was released on 8 February 2018, the same day the album was announced.[7] It is notably the band's first full-length release to not feature a lineup change from the previous album.

Background
Sonder features a live choir produced and conducted by Randy Slaugh

Sonder marks Tesseract's second consecutive release and third overall with the original vocalist, Daniel Tompkins, who first appeared on their debut studio album, One (2011), and later, Polaris. A concept album, Sonder was described by Tompkins as "exploring a deep and devouring sense of insignificance".[8] "Smile" was released by the band on 23 June 2017, and was described as their "most collaborative track in recent times",[6] but was intended to be reworked and extended for the album.[8]

The album was originally announced on 8 February 2018, with the simultaneous release of its lead single, "Luminary",[7] and the music video for "King" (directed by Kyle Kadow and Steven Cleavland in Wisconsin) being released on 16 March. For the first time, the band acquired the talents of a choir, produced and conducted by Randy Slaugh of White Moth Black Butterfly and recorded at Soularium Studios in the U.S. [9][10][11] Sonder is the band's shortest studio album at 36 minutes in length.[12][13]

The inspiration for the album's name came from a fictional word used in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Luminary"3:12
2."King"6:56
3."Orbital"2:19
4."Juno"5:12
5."Beneath My Skin"5:34
6."Mirror Image"5:47
7."Smile"4:47
8."The Arrow"2:37
Total length:36:24

Personnel

Tesseract

  • Daniel Tompkins – lead vocals
  • Acle Kahney – lead guitar, production, recording, mixing, mastering
  • James 'Metal' Monteith – rhythm guitar
  • Amos Williams – bass, growls, backing vocals, cover art
  • Jay Postones – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

  • Tesseract – production
  • Aidan O'Brien – production, engineering
  • Randy Slaugh – choir production, conducting

Charts
Chart performance for Sonder
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 47
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 174
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 112
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 48
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 51
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 62
US Billboard 200[23] 198

References
  1. Sonder by Tesseract, retrieved 6 June 2018
  2. "Sonder - TesseracT | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  3. "Album Review: TESSERACT Sonder". Metal Injection. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  4. RaduP (11 July 2018). "YOB - Our Raw Heart". Metal Storm. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  5. Calum Singerland (19 April 2018). "Tesseract - Sonder". Exclaim!. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  6. "Kscope | TesseracT release "Smile" – the new single and lyric video". www.kscopemusic.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  7. "TESSERACT To Release 'Sonder' Album In April". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  8. "Kscope | TesseracT". www.kscopemusic.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  9. "Behind the TesseracT 'Sonder' Choir Recording Session with Randy Slaugh". 31 July 2018.
  10. "Randy Slaugh - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  11. "Randy Slaugh: Modern Metal's Go-To Composer -". 28 August 2018.
  12. "Sonder". burningshed.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. Sonder by TesseracT on Apple Music, 20 April 2018, retrieved 17 March 2018
  14. Williams, Eley (27 May 2019). "From anemoia to zagreb: how 'fictionaries' are liberating the word". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  15. "Australiancharts.com – Tesseract – Sonder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – Tesseract – Sonder" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Tesseract – Sonder" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Tesseract – Sonder" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Tesseract – Sonder" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  20. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  21. "Swisscharts.com – Tesseract – Sonder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  23. "Tesseract Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
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