Sleep Token, an English rock band, released their debut EP, “One,” back in 2016. Since then they have released one more EP and four albums, the latest one being “Even In Arcadia.” They write and produce haunting and soulful lyrics with melodies that range from calming to straight up heart-pumping.
Sleep Token consists of four members: Vessel, II, III and IV. Vessel is the lead singer and songwriter of the band, as well as the pianist; II is the drummer as well as songwriter; III is the bassist; IV is the guitarist and a vocalist of the band, though he mainly is the screamer during live performances. Their back vocalists are called Espera, and they consist of three girls–Mathilda Riley, Lynsey Ward and Paige Lucip.
“Even In Arcadia” was released May 9 and was the first Sleep Token album and second hard rock album to hit No.1 on the Billboard 200, and all 10 songs on the album managed to get onto the Billboard Hot 100 within weeks of the album’s release. On Hot Hard Rock Songs, Sleep Token songs from “Even In Arcadia,” “Caramel,” “Damocles” and “Emergence,” were overthrowing each other on the No. 1 ranking before they managed to hold the top three placings. This album brought the band so much attention that their monthly listeners doubled on Spotify, jumping from 4 million listeners to 8 million listeners monthly.
“Look To Windward” is the second longest song in the album, sitting at 7 minutes and 47 seconds. The beginning of the song starts off a little slow with a rhythmic keyboard before Vessel’s singing comes into play. In the indie rock parts of the song, his voice is always louder than the music, making it easier to hear the lyrics and really understand him. The transition over from the keyboard to heavy drums near the middle of the song is unique yet clean. During the drums, the screamo part of the song plays; their voices sort of blend with the drums to make a nice booming effect. The rap segment of the song is well paced, and Vessel’s pronunciation while rapping is absolutely wonderful. Not to mention how well written the lyrics are. At the end of the song. There is a small parallel between the title song from their previous album, “Take Me Back To Eden,” where there is this loud and heavy ending; “Look To Windward” has a similar setup to it, but it is shorter and less dramatic.
“Emergence,” the debut song on the album, has fairly earned all the attention it has gotten in the charts. The calm intro perfectly transitions into an electro type of beat before sliding into their signature heavy drums and bass. Vessel’s rap–the majority of the vocals–is simply phenomenal. His voice is able to convey so much emotion, and it seems almost effortless, too. The lyrics are giant metaphors and similes that beg to be deciphered. The song ends in this magical saxophone solo that makes listeners want to sway.
“Past Self” is one of their calmest songs, while also being one of their hardest songs to digest. Throughout the whole song, the music is mainly keyboard, keeping a similar beat during the whole song; it is almost hypnotizing in a way. What really makes this song stick out is the lyrics. They are deep and emotional; they touch your heart in a way. There is some opposition between the music and the lyrics because the music feels like dancing, but the lyrics feel like crying. Vessel’s voice while singing is so emotional, yet so devoid of emotion at the same time in this song; it is a real paradox. This paradox very beautifully makes the lyrics the star of the show with this song, and it is simply amazing.
“Dangerous” is a stand out song in every way on this album. From its not only being more of a love song, which is not very common for Sleep Token, to the uniqueness in music, lyrics and Vessel’s voice. The music mixed with his voice in the beginning of the song is just spellbinding to say the least. The music is slowly building up throughout the song, and near the middle the beat drops into heavy drums and bass follow that slow progression perfectly. The whole song blends together perfectly with Vessel’s magical voice.
“Caramel” is the second debut song of the album, and this emotional masterpiece is a well worthy rival of “Emergence.” The lyrics are emotional and really show how Vessel feels. They are beautifully written. Vessel’s voice really helps convey the depth of the song. To add to that, the lyrics are catchy, and despite their negative meaning, they are memorable. Throughout the whole song, there is a great mix of their heavy rock with their quieter indie music. The beginning’s being softer than the song really makes a great transition to the rest of the song’s being louder. The heavy drums and screaming near the end of the song are absolutely amazing.
“Even In Arcadia” is notably the title of the album and is also the calmest song of the whole album. The song starts out very calmly with synthesizers, piano and violin, and this remains the same throughout most of the track. In the middle, there is a bit of a pickup in the music, but it does remain relatively quiet. At the end, however, there is an absolutely beautiful cello solo. Vessel’s vocals are not as much of a standout in the song, despite being prominently hearable. The music is really the standout point of the song, especially the cello solo. Despite that, the lyrics are very well written, but for it to be the title song, it feels underwhelming compared to the rest of the tracks.
“Provider” is another standout song like “Dangerous” with its also being a love song and a very good one at that. The opening line feels rather abrupt during the first listen, but after the second listen, it is great. The music is a heavy mix of perfect soft and loud melodies throughout the whole song, and no matter what it is just amazing. Vessel’s vocals are just as tantalizing, and with the lyrics being so phenomenal, there is just the right amount of rhyming throughout them. The whole song is just a spell, and every component works perfectly with each other.
“Damocles” is another deep song in the album where the lyrics are just immaculate. In the beginning, the music is a piano and very soft. Near the middle, the piano breaks into drums before they merge together and both play during some parts, creating a beautiful harmony. The song ends with the piano just as it began. Even the harmony feels melancholy and fits the tone and mood of the song. Similarly, Vessel’s voice, once more, perfectly carries the emotion of the song. The biggest standout point of this song is the melodies.
“Gethsemane” is just a tragically beautiful song that is mainly interrupted as a break-up song, and it very well could be. The lyrics are just spot-on in harnessing the hurt, and they drip with so many things that could be interpreted in several different ways. The music begins with a keyboard and synthetic sounds before moving into guitar and drums. The middle has this heavy breakdown that is just hypnotic. The end is mainly a keyboard and synthetic sounds that, again, pair well with Vessel as he sings the bridge and outro. Vessel shows off a bit of his range in this song with his high notes and his screams during the breakdown in the middle of the song, which is pretty cool.
“Infinite Baths” is the closing song and also the longest song on the album. The lyrics are heavy with similes, metaphors and hyperbole. The song starts with a keyboard and progresses into guitars. The middle features a small quiet section before it breaks into a Sleep Token signature, an insane drum and guitar breakdown that lasts until the end of the song. Vessel is screaming during this breakdown, which makes it all the better. The song is unique for having this big second of just straight metal because all their other songs really do not have as much metal in them as “Infinite Baths.”
Throughout all of these songs, the lyrics contain countless literary devices that are just perfectly put, from similes to metaphors, hyperbole to repetition, they offer a lot to decipher with their lyrics. Practically all of the songs also offer callbacks and references to their previous songs, which are wonderful Easter eggs for fans. Compared to Sleep Token’s previous albums, this album feels a lot calmer and quieter, while still having their signature breakdowns.
Overall, Sleep Token’s “Even In Arcadia” is just a great album that has a little bit of something for everybody. Sleep Token’s achievements are not only major milestones for the band but history for the rock industry.
