Transcension just might be the perfect name for this full length from progressive/ambient/metal collective Sleepers Awake. This is a name that has been talked up in my neck of the woods, and plays frequently at IATU hangout Kobo. After a near-eternity of recording, the band signed on with Hold Tight PR and their popularity began to spread. Unfortunately, this spread in Sleepers Awake knowledge is still happening all too slow.
Sleepers Awake are not really metal in the traditional sense of the word. The vibes I get remind me a bit of ex Mono Vs Stereo / Solid State Records band The Showdown, but what we have is so much more than the southern tinged metalcore we get from The Showdown. Actually to call Sleepers Awake any sort of “core” would be so far off the mark it would just about be insulting, especially within the Transcension paradigm.
The record travels to so many different places it is nearly impossible to evaluate on a track by track basis. Transcension can be thought of as one piece, with different movements. The concept isn’t dissimilar from a symphony. But replace strings with crunchy guitars, brass with deep vocals, percussion with a lone undoubtedly huge drum kit, and woodwinds with the occasional airy acoustic guitar.
We still get a lot that is trademark to the metal sphere. Breakdowns, for one. But used sparingly and effectively. Also lots and lots of power riffs – we get a heavy dose of this from the get go at the start of “The Augur.” Some of that ethereal, Celtic-ish acoustic guitar I hinted at earlier leads us into a false sense of peace at times before the inevitable aural assault (“Saint Condemned”) and other times into a very real tranquil mindset (the preceding interlude “Heathen Verses”). The tranquility is further explored in “Wintertide,” the second chance to catch our breath on the record that might as well be a b-side from a new age piano record inspired by the seasons.
Sleepers Awake have crafted a simply delectable composition that begs the return of the audiophile’s ear again and again. Trancension is recommended and ought to take the band far outside the reach of the Midwest, where they are from. If you’re not convinced to buy the record yet, listen to this band-sanctioned stream of the record below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbX-LiL89V8&feature=player_embedded&h=297&w=450]
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