The Sleeping Legion: “The Last Transmission” (2023) – Album Review

Summary

If you’re aligned with a convergence of 1972-ish Sabbath and Floyd, 90s indie rock/grunge, and whatever else The Sleeping Legion tossed into this bubbling sonic cauldron of creepy concordance, The Last Transmission delivers an epic psychedelic doom metal ride of cosmic terror and sci-fi derring-do.

Album Info

Hot-Take Review

You know, I recently discovered a few things about myself, even at this advanced age: (1) I often forget how I discover bands, (2) I apparently have a thing for indie artists from Canada and Atlanta, and (3) I never realized that a convergence of Master of Reality-era Sabbath and Meddle-era Floyd were the proverbial chocolate and peanut butter missing from my life.

To wit: The Last Transmission, the second and latest release from Winnipeg’s The Sleeping Legion. This Canadian quintet, who eschew both traditional sonic narratives and last names, combines the cosmic doom-metal nihilism of Black Sabbath and Budgie with the hypnotic psychedelic/space-rock daring of early ’70s Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. Oh yes, and entirely without vocals; they are an instrumental act (at least on this LP, anyhow). The only vocals heard are vintage radio transmissions, ostensibly to move the story forward.

As such, the band isn’t trying to overwhelm you with technical exercises in musical fluidity or instrumental virtuosity. You won’t find endless baroque wankery or guitar-heroic cock-rockery. No, The Sleeping Legion overwhelms you with atmosphere, mood, and dread; instrumental heavy-rock tapestries of otherworldly horror featuring cosmic beings beyond our comprehension, extinction-level mysteries, time travel, and Lord knows whatever else.

All of this, without a word; just the inevitable oblivion of an inescapable psychedelic doom rock soundstage.

And an infectious one at that!

The Last Transmission is a mood from start to finish. The opening strains of the title track spell out the album’s ethos almost immediately, with slow, thick metal riffing playing over a vintage radio broadcast. The transmission informs us that Earth and Mars were at their closest orbits since 1924, and that radio engineers attempted to send a broadcast to our closest planetary neighbor that isn’t Venus (yeah, I fact-checked this information and had to correct the previous sentence, bite me).

Where the story goes from there is mostly hinted at rather than overtly explained. We hear snippets of return transmissions, warning us that the Earth is about to invaded by a hostile alien race who have infiltrated our world’s institutions. What The Sleeping Legion does so well here is establish tone and develop atmosphere. This milieu is unshakeable. The alien invasion is nigh. The human race faces annihilation.

So what happens next? We kick back and let The Last Transmission take us along for the musical ride. From the western-styled opening of “Apogee”, the bleak whispering despair that erupts into a fireball of horror in “Marooned”, the frenzied 5/4 signature that shifts into steadier currents in the aptly named “Through Time”, or our atmospheric landing in “Nebulous” that abruptly pivots into somewhere wholly elsewhere, The Sleeping Legion wastes no time in driving our journey with infectious musical cues that color and challenge our perceptions of the narrative.

Where do we end up? At the album’s finale, “Tunguska Event”, a real-life event that occurred in Siberia in 1908 in which a meteor exploded in our atmosphere and flattened 800 square miles of Russia (looked that one up too, just to get the facts straight). Or something. We hear more radio transmissions that reveal the meteor was actually a comet. What that means, your guess is as good as mine. Was that the arrival of our alien overlords? Was it sent through time? Who sent it, and for what purpose? Did humanity save itself by changing the past?

I dunno man, I just work here. But as such, I was entirely here for The Last Transmission. What an unexpected blast. The Sleeping Legion proudly wear their influences on their sleeves; this album’s wheelhouse consists of slow, riff-heavy, atmospheric and evocative doomistry, and The Sleeping Legion excel at it. If you’re aligned with a convergence of 1972-ish Sabbath and Floyd, 90s indie rock/grunge, and whatever else The Sleeping Legion tossed into this bubbling sonic cauldron of creepy concordance, The Last Transmission delivers an epic psychedelic doom metal ride of cosmic terror and sci-fi derring-do.

What similar albums does ChatGPT recommend?

While it behooves me to remind my readers that everything you just read is 100% Mills, let’s ask our friendly neighborhood AI for some similar album recommendations.

(As an aside, I asked the AI not to include any Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd. Go listen to Master of Reality and Meddle if you haven’t already, but let’s fine-tune the signal towards the less obvious frequencies, shall we?)

1. Earthless – “From the Ages” (2013): This instrumental psychedelic heavy rock album by Earthless is filled with powerful, extended guitar solos and a hypnotic rhythm section. The album’s four tracks span over an hour, offering a mesmerizing journey through the realms of space rock and heavy psych.

2. Pallbearer – “Sorrow and Extinction” (2012): Pallbearer’s debut album is a modern classic in the doom metal genre. With its heavy, melodic riffs, soaring vocals, and emotional themes, “Sorrow and Extinction” provides a powerful listening experience that should resonate with fans of “The Last Transmission”.

3. Electric Wizard – “Dopethrone” (2000): As one of the most revered albums in the doom metal genre, “Dopethrone” by Electric Wizard is a must for fans of “The Last Transmission”. With its crushing riffs, fuzzed-out guitars, and occult themes, this album will take listeners on a dark, psychedelic trip.

4. Sleep – “Dopesmoker” (2003): This cult classic by Sleep is another essential listen for fans of heavy, psychedelic doom metal. “Dopesmoker” is a single, hour-long track that immerses listeners in a dense, trance-inducing soundscape, with its slow, repetitive riffs and otherworldly atmosphere.

5. Colour Haze – “Tempel” (2006): For those seeking more instrumental-focused psychedelic heavy rock, “Tempel” by German band Colour Haze is a great recommendation. The album blends heavy riffs, intricate guitar work, and atmospheric passages, providing an engaging listening experience for fans of “The Last Transmission”.

Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI to Mills, 7 May 2023.