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Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden review




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Band: Sleep Token
Album: Take Me Back To Eden
Release date: May 2023


01. Chokehold
02. The Summoning
03. Granite
04. Aqua Regia
05. Vore
06. Ascensionism
07. Are You Really Okay?
08. The Apparition
09. Dywtylm
10. Rain
11. Take Me Back To Eden
12. Euclid

Oh God, I have to acknowledge the existence of Tiktok. 

Few bands in recent years have captured the popular zeitgeist in the way rising stars Sleep Token have, managing to straddle the divides between genres as diverse as metal to Tiktok fodder and leading to the band's rise, one akin to having a rocket strapped to their back. Their mix of ambient 'spooky pop' with djent passages has proven to be a gold mine for the band, one that Sleep Token understandably return to once more on Take Me Back To Eden

Having established their sound with their two prior releases, Take Me Back To Eden is the The Last Crusade of this current trio of albums, refining the formula that was established before it, while also adding enough twists to make it unique in its own way. Variation is likely to be the album's main strength, with your favourite moments likely to be dictated by your favourite element in the band's sound, as each song alters which element is brought to the fore (though never discarding any other). This, in turn, is why, even at 66 minutes, the album does not feel overlong, nor does it like it runs out of steam partway through. 

Indeed, it is when the band decide to mix everything together in one track and amplify different elements throughout the duration of the song that the album is at its best. "Euclid" and "Ascensionism" are the two standouts for me, with the latter sounding like Post Malone met Mono and Meshuggah for a coffee. This melding of styles is a delicate balance done well by the band (who continue to take the road of anonymity), thanks to a good mix of musicianship. 

The two parts that really give the band their edge are the tones of the keyboards and of the vocalist, who is colloquially known as "Vessel". The ability to create vast soundscapes, both in calm and serene passages, and in heavy and angry moods, is done well via these two mediums ("Aqua Regia"), with the rest of the band enhancing these two elements. Take Me Back To Eden is built off the back of this sonic co-operation. 

The main issue with Take Me Back To Eden, and to a larger extent Sleep Token themselves, is that they sit on the fringes of metal, happy to dip their toes into the genre and sound, but never dwell in it beyond some basic parts. Take "The Apparition": the breakdown at the end of the track will sound generic and nothing spectacular to a metalhead, whereas someone who hasn't been exposed to the heavy side of metal will think it's some daring and amazing part. It works in the context of the music, but I can't help but find these moments are almost a dime-a-dozen as a connoisseur of metals. 

Sleep Token are likely to remain a divisive band, thanks to the band being a jack of all trades but a master of only mixing these elements together. Take Me Back To Eden is likely to have people on the diametric ends of the spectrum, either loving or loathing it, with only a few in the middle ground wondering what all the hubbub is about... or wondering which part is going to be turned into the next viral TikTok moment.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 6
Originality: 6
Production: 8





Written on 29.05.2023 by Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening.


Comments

Comments: 1   Visited by: 203 users
29.05.2023 - 12:06
SamuelYK

Well said, I have the same issues with it. It's banal and generic with every genre they insert. Might be interesting for young crowds who havent heard this kind of mashups but otherwise just eh
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