Photo Credit: Andy Ford
Ever since they first burst onto the scene back in 2016, Sleep Token’s popularity has been steadily increasing with every new track, album, concert and festival appearance. This increased further at the beginning of the year, when the band suddenly dropped two new singles after months of radio silence, and then announced what would be their third studio effort thus far: Take Me Back to Eden.
With over an hour of music spread across 12 tracks, this new album continues with the same style that Sleep Token has established thus far: an exciting blend of genres that constantly keeps listeners on their toes, while simultaneously delivering on a consistent basis. From the mesmerising starting track Chokehold, all the way to closer Euclid, Sleep Token set out on a musical journey that successfully manages to break musical boundaries as easily as one would split a pencil in half.
Tracks such as Are You Really Okay or DYWTYLM (“Do you wish that you loved me?”) offer some more sensitive moments to the album, with softly plucked strings, piano or synths providing a soothing and peaceful backdrop for Vessel to sing and croon over. Aqua Regia, as well, with its groovy drumbeat and piano, serves as a calmer bridge between the more energetic moments of the album.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Chokehold and its successor The Summoning are an immediate one-two combo of heavy riffs and breakdowns, and have more than proved themselves to their audience since they first released as singles back in January – both have surpassed 10M streams on Spotify, and, with over 34M streams, the latter remains one of, if not the most popular song the band has released thus far.
The good news is that the rest of the album is just as good as its singles, with tracks such as Ascensionism or title track Take Me Back to Eden blending all sounds found within the record’s runtime. The former goes from piano keys to trap style 808s, vocal cadences and then to breakdowns, and the latter takes all of that and adds both the peaceful synths found in the softer tracks, as well as the blood curdling screams found in The Summoning or Vore.
All in all, Sleep Token have just about perfected their sound and formula with this new album. From blood curdling screams and some seriously crushing breakdowns and riffs, to piano melodies and ballad sensitivities, and even some tasteful use of autotune and electronic elements inspired by trap songs, Take Me Back to Eden has pretty much got it all. You’re going to want to see them in concert or at a festival, ASAP. There’s a reason everyone’s been talking about them, and with an album that’s bound to show up or snag the #1 spot on the year-end Best Album lists, even those who doubted them at first will come around to them. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll go back to listening to the album all over again.
9.5/10
Standout Tracks: Chokehold, The Summoning, Granite, Aqua Regia, Ascensionism, The Apparition, Rain
For Fans Of: Leprous, Deftones, Meshuggah
Written by: Florin Petrut
