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Locals Only: Sleepers Awake
Thursday, November 5, 2009 6:00 AM
By Chris DeVille
Sleepers Awake
Like many bands fed up with what they hear on the radio, Sleepers Awake set out four years ago to fashion something stimulating.
"Nothing that was coming out was particularly exciting us," guitarist Rob Bradley said.
So they tried to come up with music that didn't mesh with knuckle-dragging nu metal and saccharine sweet "Stacy's Mom" fare. Judging from their debut, Priests of the Fire - set for release Friday at the Scarlet and Grey Cafe - they pulled it off.
There are plenty of touchstones in Sleepers Awake's sound, from the Maynard James Keenan corner of modern rock (Tool, A Perfect Circle) to metal forefathers Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to the hipster-friendly stoner rock of Queens of the Stone Age. But the self-described prog-rock band is tough to pigeonhole.
They play like a metal band, with chunky low-end riffs, double-bass drum fills and harmonized guitar solos, but as drummer Chris Burnside plainly stated, "It's definitely not metal."
Songs like "Won't Let Go" and "The Ancient" blend those hard-nosed genre signifiers with pop elements. In some moments, it works wonderfully, but the band also treads dangerously close to Godsmack territory at times. Vocalist Chris Thompson's somber bellow usually delivers a dramatic payoff but occasionally skirts that post-Vedder realm that has poisoned so much of modern rock.
More often than not, though, Thompson's vocals are an asset that helps to further blur Sleepers Awake's genre lines.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't scream or growl," Thompson said, laughing. "So I'm stuck with singing gently."
The band's surest strength is winding song structures that rarely repeat yet still manage to satisfy pop cravings without the benefit of repetition. There's a melodic smartness about these riffs that transcends short attention spans and achieves the kind of sonic landscape the band is shooting for.
Then there's the subject matter: historical fiction and fantasy stories ripped straight from the "nerdy prog-rock bands" this crew idolizes.
Though Thompson said there may be some allegorical meaning buried in tales like "Priests of the Fire" and "The Colossus That Bestrode the World," he mostly prefers to write story-songs because they fit with the linear song structures and they stray from tired romantic tropes.
"It's just pure imagination and art," Thompson said. "Even the music itself tells a story."
E-mail your local music news to Chris DeVille at cdeville@columbusalive.com
(link: http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/11/05/ca_m_locals.html?sid=108)
- Columbus ALIVE!
Not bad for newbies
Progressive metal is not one of the sounds Columbus is known for, which makes Sleepers Awake’s Priests of the Fire an interesting anomaly.
What’s progressive metal? To quote the band’s own definition, think along the lines of a heavier, chunkier Dream Theater.
Sleepers Awake sounds like it shares a similar Guitar Center pedigree but can still craft an engaging song. The band cops some Tool-like atmospherics and theatrical dramatics, as well as playing in the heavier end of the metal pool without sacrificing a unified, emotionally intense sound that can aptly be described as, well, both progressive and metal.
Maybe it’s unfair to point fingers considering this is a rookie band’s first album, but I’d like to hear the group stretch in one direction or the other more often, exploring dark, dirge metal at one end and sonic exploration at the other.
Still, considering this is the band’s first time out, playing a little close to the vest isn’t a bad move. Given the solid material and abundant talent Sleepers Awake displays with Priests of the Fire, the band is certainly one worth keeping an eye on as it grows more comfortable in its own skin.
Rick Allen
(link: http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/11/07/music/doc4af2088930eef014271171.txt) - The Other Paper (Columbus, OH)
LOCAL LIMELIGHT
Sleepers Awake
Thursday, November 5, 2009 3:19 AM
Sleepers Awake, a Columbus prog-rock quartet (leaning on the heavy side), offers fiery sounds that are anything but a snooze.
The foursome will perform Friday to celebrate the release of its first full-length album, Priests of the Fire.
Chris Burnsides, the drummer, recently expounded on the group:
Q What does the music on your new disc sound like?
A We were going for a very epic record, yet strived to make each song easy to access. We went for a very big feel.
Q How would you describe the writing and recording process?
A We have a tremendous amount of respect for one another as musicians, so nobody's input is dismissed. We typically go with the best fit -- sometimes the first suggestion and sometimes a result of butting heads.
The live room at Sonic Lounge (in Grove City), where we recorded, is this wide-open room, so the drums sounded huge. For the guitars, we tried to refrain from overdubbing the tracks to death.
We wanted to capture the live feel but still maintain professional audio quality.
Q What other bands inspire you?
A I would say guys like Queen, Opeth, Rush, Mastodon, Pink Floyd, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age.
We are pretty into anyone who does what they do with integrity and emotion, whether that is writing a great hook or a face- melting guitar solo.
Q Why should someone see a Sleepers Awake show?
A To see a hell of a rock show. We are an in-your-face, guitars-blaring rock band. You're going to have fun.
-- Kevin Joy kjoy@dispatch.com
(link: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2009/11/05/9A_LIME05_ART_11-05-09_T6_VIFI87E.html?sid=101) - The Columbus Dispatch
http://patradio.org/blogs/index.php?frontpage - Pat Radio
Imagine Eddie Vedder wailing to a trippier, more progressive backing band, and you have an accurate taste of Sleepers Awake's, Werdegang E.P. Boatman Blues really showcases great drumming by Eric Gray which is accompanied by fighting guitars.
In Time is a swingy rock song with blaring bass and guitar riffs that backs a falsetto vocal forcing the thought, "don't you wish you could turn back time?" Its more reserved and thought provoking.
Screamers unleashes non-congruent guitar lines with hard panned movement. Its a ride for your ears. Thompson's vocals are an intense whisper and work very convincingly.
If you are a fan of Pearl Jam, you'll enjoy this e.p. If not, you might want to keep your distance. If Vedder ever finds himself unable to perform, Thompson could step in and 99% of the audience wouldn't know the difference.
- Awaken Music Publications
Discography
"Priests of the Fire" - Full Length - 2009
"Werdegang"- EP - 2006
Photos
Bio
Sleepers Awake was formed in 2005 by friends Rob Bradley and Chris Thompson with the goal of forging a new sound. Shortly after forming Rob’s brother Joey stepped in on bass. After a brief tenure with drummer Dan Bilbrey, Eric Grey stepped in behind the kit and the band recorded their first demo EP Werdegang at Moo Pigface Studios with Dan Boyd.
Following the EP, the band continued to gain the respect of Columbus fans and fellow musicians over the next few years. In the Summer of 2008 after a split with drummer Eric Grey, drummer Chris Burnsides (Unknown Origin, One Eye Witness) stepped in to fill the role and the band began to discuss its first full length record.
After finalizing the lineup, Sleepers Awake began work on Priests of the Fire with well respected producer Joe Viers (Neil Zaza, Bobaflex, Kill What I Adore, Red Wanting Blue). The result was an album that was both heavy and melodic, linear yet sensible. To quote Chris DeVille of Columbus ALIVE! Newspaper:
“The band's surest strength is winding song structures that rarely repeat yet still manage to satisfy pop cravings without the benefit of repetition. There's a melodic smartness about these riffs that transcends short attention spans and achieves the kind of sonic landscape the band is shooting for”
Or to quote Columbus music critic, and notoriously difficult to impress, Rick Allen of The Other Paper:
“Progressive metal is not one of the sounds Columbus is known for, which makes Sleepers Awake’s Priests of the Fire an interesting anomaly… Given the solid material and abundant talent Sleepers Awake displays with Priests of the Fire, the band is certainly one worth keeping an eye on…”
Sleepers Awake continues to expand its base outside of the tri-state area and share its music with the rest of the music world. Plans of a regional supporting tour Spring of 2010 are in the works.
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