On May 9, Sleep Token released their fourth album, Even in Arcadia. Sleep Token is an English rock band formed in 2016, and is unique in the fact that all of the members wear masks and cloaks, and do not reveal their identities. The lead singer is called “Vessel” and the other members are II, III, IV, and Espera.
Sleep Token is in some ways more of a story than a band, with the first three albums carefully constructed with cryptic lyrics about the relationship between Vessel and Sleep, the deity that Sleep Token worships. Before the release of “Even in Arcadia”, fans were given cryptic information hinting at the album, including a website with a source code that contained a famous painting called the Shepherds in Arcadia, and coordinates which showed fans what to enter in a cypher on the site. Once entered, the website asked fans to choose between “House Veridian” and “Feathered Host.” They also released sheet music to fans and even had a weatherman give clues about the album.
Sleep Token’s music itself transcends genre, from metal to jazz, to pop and scythe and somehow melds them all together. The band is incredibly talented, and having had the privilege to see them live, I can attest that Vessel has an incredible voice even without autotune. Sleep Token writes the type of music that makes you feel so emotional you scream the entirely-memorized lyrics at the top of your lungs. It’s the kind of music that you can become entirely immersed and lost in. It’s the type of music where you ride along the sound waves like a river, that takes you to places that only exist in dreams.
Here’s the album song by song:
Look To Windward starts the album strong with a slow, melodic and eerie beginning. It eventually builds into a heavy metal section and then into a verse that references the “feather and sword.” The song then calms and there is a section of piano music before it builds again, before ending with a whispered section. It is long, but very beautiful and eerie. It introduces the concepts of the album very well. I think this song does an incredible job blending genres into a beautiful sound that gives a feeling which is quite hard to describe. It’s overall really good, and particularly enjoy the verse that begins with “I’ve got eyelids heavy enough to break diamonds”
Emergence is the first song of the album that was released, and for good reason. It has many of the same sounds and medley of genres as look to windward. It has melodic sections similar to a lullaby and then heavy metal sections, which Sleep Token masterfully transitions between. The verses contain cryptic comparisons and short sentences like “Are you carbide on my nano, red glass on my lightbulb, Dark light on my culture, sapphire on my white gold.” Listening to the song is like riding on waves, some calm, and some rocky until you get lost at sea. Emergence is truly the type of song you start again the second it ends.
Past Self is more of a synth-pop song that deviates from the style of the previous two songs. I really like the catchy nature of the chorus (Are you going to dance on the line with me?). It has a very consistent beat which makes it very fun to listen to, and it’s nice juxtaposed to the intensity of the previous two songs. To me, this is DYWTYLM, (the pop song from their previous album, which in my opinion, way too autotuned) done right.
Dangerous is also very catchy but with a darker tone. It’s similar to the somber tone of Sleep Token’s earlier album “This Place will Become Your Tomb,” except with a very intense chorus.
Caramel is another song with a catchy beat that is simultaneously quite intense, but with less of a dark tone. The lyrics are kind of depressing, but the music sounds almost upbeat and hopeful. What’s interesting about this song is the clear references to Vessel’s experience being in a masked band as it gains popularity, with the clever lyrics, “Getting worse every time they try to show my real name,” and “guess thats what I get for tryna hide in the limelight, guess that’s what I get for having 20/20 hindsight.” This is unique in Sleep Token’s music, as their songs usually depict the band’s lore, rather than the real-life experience of the band members. Overall this song is definitely a 10/10 that I was listening to on repeat when it was released as a single.
Even in Arcadia: the title track is interesting. It’s a slower song, reminiscent of a prayer. There are very few lyrics, with mostly melodic piano. This is where the album takes a sort of turn and becomes more downbeat. The songs start seeming sadder, bringing an emotion of longing. Despite it being the title track, I personally find this song a little slow, lacking the same ups and downs in intensity as the rest of the album. It’s important to the album but I would likely not listen to it on its own. It is notable that Arcadia is a utopia in Greek mythology. I believe that this is connected to the repeated lyric “have you been waiting long for me,” in that someone is waiting for Vessel to return to Arcadia.
Provider is a really interesting and beautiful song. There is an interesting synthy blip in the music during the chorus after the lyric “I wanna be a provider,” which is one of those sounds that scratches your brain right. My favorite part is the long notes Vessel sings, “your fingers foxtrot on my skin” with the heavier instrumental music in the background. It’s the type of song that I could scream in the rain, it’s truly so strongly evocative of emotion.
Damocles is a sadder song which, like Caramel, references Vessel’s real life experience being in a faceless band. The title is a reference to the story of Damocles. The story goes that Damocles thought having the power and privilege of a king would be great. The king offered to switch places with him, but tied a sword over the throne hanging by a horse’s hair, to represent all of the king’s enemies. Despite having all the king’s privileges, Damocles couldn’t handle the sword hanging over his head. I believe this represents how Vessel feels, he is famous and successful, but he has the eternal threat of someone finding out who he is hanging over his head. I think this song is supposed to be a more despairing version of Caramel, and while I can appreciate it, I think the music and metaphor was better executed in Caramel, although after listening a few times I’ve decided I do like it.
Gethsemane might be my favorite song on the album (although I am biased to love anything that sounds remotely like an emo breakup song). It’s a really incredible example of how Sleep Token portrays emotion using unconventional song structures and blending of different music genres. The music kicking in after “ I was your robot companion, you were my favorite color” is just so incredible to listen to. Like so many on this album, this song is a journey through emotions. It starts out slow, the beginning reminiscent of some of Sleep Token’s first music. Then the instrumentals come in more strongly, reminding me of the feeling of being outside in a meadow or the woods on the first day of spring, but with lyrics that are sad and longing. It then slows down to build up for a more intense instrumental part, before switching to a repetition of three lines of lyrics. It then ends with a verse that matches the tone of the intro. The lyrics seem to portray Vessel being hurt in a complex relationship with someone he loves who doesn’t feel the same. The title of the song, Gethsemane, which is a city in Jerusalem, which in Christianity is the place where Jesus was arrested before he was crucified. This is where he endured the “Agony in the Garden,” where “he prays to be delivered from His impending suffering, while also accepting God’s will,” according to Wikipedia. I assume this is meant to portray how Vessel may feel, and is perhaps comparing the relationship of Jesus and God to the relationship between Vessel and Sleep.
Infinite Baths concludes the album with soft, longing, melodic notes. It seems tranquil at first, like Vessel has accepted and found peace in his life. But then it takes a turn and concludes with an intense ominous metal section. It seems Vessel has made it to Arcadia but was rejected. It ends with the words “Teeth of God, Blood of man, I will be what I am.” Teeth of God was the name of a Sleep Token tour. The last verse ties back to Look to Windward with the line “will you halt this eclipse in me?” I feel the mysterious shift to metal music and angry lyrics leaves the album’s story open to be continued in the next album, which I eagerly await.
Overall, Even in Arcadia is a masterful blending of music genres, song structures, and storytelling to create a cryptic masterpiece. The album utilizes everything from the unique crests on the banner of each song’s spotify video to the mysterious way in which the album was introduced to clue fans in but never reveal the full story. Simultaneously, the album gives more insight into the feelings and real lives of the members. That is what’s so interesting about Sleep Token, the band itself is the art, and everything related to the music is a part of the ever evolving puzzle creating stories that we will never fully understand. It’s truly beautiful, and I would wholeheartedly recommend listening to the album to experience the immersive world of Sleep Token’s music.