Masked band Sleep Token are about to drop their latest album

Masked band Sleep Token are about to drop their latest album, and the hype surrounding the release feels palpable.

Masked band Sleep Token are about to drop their latest album, and the hype surrounding the release feels palpable.

Four albums in, it’s hard to call them an overnight success, but 2023’s The Summoning going viral definitely had a role to play in their huge rise over the past year or so, culminating in a headline slot at Download Festival next month and the release of fourth album Even In Arcadia tomorrow.

Even In Arcadia embodies the genre-bending, otherworldly sound we’ve come to expect from Sleep Token; rich, expansive, and a wonderful showcase for frontman Vessel’s unique voice. Their sound scratches so many itches all at once, from elegant piano to surging guitars, and from heartbreaking harmonies to guttural screams, all bound together by carefully thought out lyrics that feel designed to have listeners either losing their minds over the symbolism, or crying in the foetal position. Actually, it’s probably both.

Nothing in Sleep Token’s discography feels like its done by accident, and the tracks on Even In Arcadia are packed with beautiful lyricism and engaging metaphor. Penultimate track Gethsemene is named for the garden where Jesus was arrested after Judas betrayed him; the metaphor of the sword of Damocles (see recent single Damocles) feels like an apt one for a band who guard their identities so fiercely, and whose fame rocketed in the way that it did; the album’s title, and it’s associated track, reminds us that there’s room for darkness even in paradise.

It all feels very introspective, a response to the fame and the fanbase – both positive and negative – and a reminder that behind the mask, there’s just a man trying to sing songs about his feelings.

There’s a repetitive feel to Even In Arcadia, with the format of a slow burn into a big, metal flourish feeling like a Sleep Token given at this point. That’s not to say the tracks are indistinct from each other – they’re clearly very separate entities, and they’re all, honestly, quite beautiful – but listening to the album all in one go really does highlight this, and Even In Arcadia might have benefitted from a break from business as usual here and there.

This does make it hard to pick a stand out track, though singles Damocles and Emergence are, well, emerging as firm favourites for me, and there’s something about the heavy shift in album opener Look To Windward that had me leaping out of my seat. Even In Arcadia is another strong contender, with powerful vocals and an achingly emotive violin playing the track out.

Would I personally have liked a little more of the heavy stuff? Sure, but after a few listens of Even In Arcadia, I’m starting to mind less and less. Definitely one to revisit once I’ve got my hands on a lyrics booklet; I’m well overdue for a night spent crying in the foetal position.

FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia is out Friday May 9th. Pre-save/pre-order your copy HERE.

Even In Arcadia track listing:

1. “Look To Windward” 2. “Emergence” 3. “Past Self” 4. “Dangerous” 5. “Caramel” 6. “Even In Arcadia” 7. “Provider” 8. “Damocles” 9. “Gethsemane” 10. “Infinite Baths”

Header credit: Andy Ford