“Take Me Back to Eden”

~ Ya’ll are sleeping on sleep Token ~

Vessel, lead singer for Sleep Token, performing in Munich, Germany.

Photo by Adamross Williams

12/7/23

12/7/23

Sleep Token’s “take me back to eden” is A deadly Lullaby

The British metal band known as Sleep Token, formed in 2016, has only just recently become a regular in my listening rotation, specifically their most recent album release “Take Me Back to Eden.” With an emo edge, the group leans into its own dark ballad, heavy thrash metal, hard rock-pop sound, also described as hybrid metal, which is much more easily consumable than most mainstream music listeners might expect.

The group is comprised of four anonymous entities, connected by their mutual worshipping of the deity “Sleep.” The lead singer, who also plays keyboard and guitar, is known as Vessel, with the drummer, bassist, and guitarist going by the aliases of II, III, and IV. The name “Vessel” reemphasizing that even the lead singer is just a means to deliver music to the audience. Sometimes, when need be, they are accompanied by a small choir, who also wear masks and stand ominously towards the back of the stage with their hands clasped together under their respective cloaks. Despite their recent influx in popularity, with now over 2 million monthly Spotify listeners, the band remains to keep their identities unknown.

In a tactic designed to keep audiences focused more on their music than their identities, the group performs and promotes in interviews whilst wearing masks and cloaks. Recently, because of this factor, TikTok has become obsessed with discovering the true identities of the band-members, despite that going directly against their request.

Those that actively seek out the identities of the four performers, whether that be through song credits or random internet breadcrumb trails, are shunned by those that choose to consume Sleep Token’s music the way they intend/hope it to be, which is without the appearance or context of the human’s producing the music.

I personally respect this approach towards the media. As someone who is very involved in all forms of media, I completely see the appeal of distancing yourself from the online world. Parasocial relationships, which are one-sided relationships between people (with one person who is deeply devoted to another person and the other whom has no idea they even exist), can be just as damaging to fans as they can be for artists. I imagine that much limelight can get to be very overwhelming and, in a way, dehumanizing. To be a fly on the wall for your own career sounds like somewhat of a dream, all of the glory with little to no guts to be seen.

Methods aside, the product that Sleep Token has been putting out for the last seven years now has only continued to get better and better, something I assessed after a quick listen-through of their entire discography, with their most recent release remained an unwavering number one in my ranks. Although, I am fairly new to their work, so maybe I am biased to what turned me onto them, but this is MY blog on MY music takes. So… Bias is somewhat inevitable. But hey, as long as I address it everything is okay, right?

The May 19th, 2023 release “Take Me Back to Eden” is comprised of 12 songs, amassing to an hour long run time, due to Sleep Token’s disregard to time restraints, with one of my favorite songs on the album amounting to nearly 10 minutes. This album should only be listened to when you are okay enough to not be okay. Seriously, do not listen to this album if you are in an easily sway-able state of mind, because I once listened to this album when I was sad and I sat there in a state of paralysis for the next two hours with it on loop. In other words, this album is a tough listen emotionally, but is jam-packed full of delicious ear candy.

I’m not entirely sure who writes the lyrics, but DAMN. These songs hit harder than a June bug on a windshield (that is a very niche Big Brother reference, not a Jacky original, unfortunately)! Covering topics such as loss, grief, lust, longing and more, there’s at least one song from this album for everyone’s “sad times” playlist.

Vocally and instrumentally this group brings the heat. Vessel has a rich vibrato and intensive range, with a stylistic vowel shape that sends me back to 2013 Tumblr days, in the best way. The instrumentation in each of these pieces, which are all pretty starkly different from one another in terms of mood, tone and tempo, are so tight and intoxicating. I’ve found myself lost in the Sleep Token sauce many-a-times.

I hope that if you should choose to divulge in this album that you too have your own existential crisis, because if I had one, you have to as well. With peace and love, I present to you, my top SIX (because I’m too indecisive to pick less picks from “Take Me Back to Eden” by Sleep Token:

This… People, this was the song that started it all for me. Now, I need to give credit where credit is due to the person who hit the nail on the head with this recommendation for me. Colin, thank you for never responding to my texts until you have an absolutely fire song to share, its a fun dynamic we have.

Anyway! “Euclid” is a devastatingly romantic song. With great use of piano, and epic full choruses with all of the instruments slamming together in tight hits, this song provides the listener with a song equal parts comforting and epic. I personally believe this song to be about wanting to protect someone you care a lot about from whatever is going on within. More specifically, letting someone you have, most likely a romantic, history with go in light of internal struggles. Even if it’s less convoluted than what I was alluding to, there is still the undertone of not being able to have a person anymore, for whatever reason, something just about anyone can relate to. The message can been interpreted differently from person to person, as is the case with all art, but their lyrics paint a pretty overall beautifully sad picture.

The first track on the album is, at the very least, extremely promising of what’s to come. In similar fashion to all of the songs on this album, we get some great imagery, painting a dark, fantastical scene. “Chokehold” paints a picture of someone, most likely Vessel, devoting themselves full to something or someone, most likely Sleep, the deity that the group is known to worship and has based most of their lore surrounding.

Cryptic meaning aside, the instrumentation in this song is very straightforward in the sense that it is insanely fun and edgy. I can honestly see a lot of the music on this album used as a soundtrack for some intense action movie, and this song is definitely a frontrunner in that category. I can’t help but feel like a main character whilst listening to this song walking around campus or driving. And, as a baby metalhead, I would like to say that this song warrants a good amount of head-banging.

Something so special about this band is their willingness to contribute to my crippling love of piano ballads. At first we are given more of a futuristic intro, until the piano comes in and sweeps us off of our feet. I would definitely have to say that this song has the most pop-esc chorus out of the bunch that I have picked out, so if you’re a little hesitant about fully sending yourself into the gothic metal world, I would suggest you start with this one.

I believe this song’s subject matter has to do heavily with lusting for someone that you know you shouldn’t, or rather being tempted to go against better judgement. Even going as far as to say that love is wild and unpredictable, and that persuing some relationships result in “animalistic” tendencies.

With an inviting and warm guitar instrumental that guides the listener into it, this song tucks you in snugly and kisses you on the forehead, before smothering you to death with a pillow. If I had this song in my life in the fall of 2022, I think I would be a different person. And no, I would not be okay. This is definitely a melancholy song, one that just hurts so good.

“Are You Really Okay?” takes us through the story of someone who, simply put, is not doing well mentally. In a more complicated sense, the story equates itself to an entangled, codependent relationship, platonic or romantic, that Vessel and the struggling subject seem to have, with Vessel time and time again checking on/wanting to help the other. For anyone that has ever felt helpless in a situation where you are constantly worried or concerned about someone you care deeply about, this song is for you.

Is it rain or is it my tears? Who’s to say. What I can say though is that this song is so frickin’ good. Upon my first listen through of the album, this melody managed to plant itself in my head most effectively.This song grapples with quite a few messages, one of which definitely being the feeling of realization. Growing past a situation or relationship and finding out through a new endeavor or relationship that things were not what you originally perceived them to be. I imagine the metaphor of “Rain” is washing away yesterday and entering tomorrow with a new found clarity. In an even more beautiful way, the song compares a person to having that same quality that rain does.

In a way, “Rain” is a love song, and extremely sweet; a soft ballad wolf wearing a thrash metal sheep’s clothing.

The title track song comes in at a whopping 8 minutes, and it is a journey. “Take Me Back To Eden” is the gift that keeps on giving. So much happens within this piece, so many genres are touched upon and so much imagery is thrown at you. I don’t even know how many times I have listened to this song and I still notice something new every time.

What I have ultimately taken away as the meaning for this song is that Vessel is professing his reluctant love for someone, and in so many grandiose words, wants to take on life with them. There is little I can say about this song that will be cohesive, considering the song itself hops between so many different styles, but I feel that just listening to the song will go smoother than reading me trying to explain it. Which… I get is kind of the whole point of having a music blog, but LISTEN. Not to me. Listen to the song. THAT is what I have to say.

The gothic metal group has aged liked fine wine, with “Take Me Back to Eden” being their tastiest release yet, in my not so humble opinion. Let the record show that I am aware this music is drastically different than anything else I have written about, but I feel like that’s what makes it all the more special. I know that this everyone might not like this music, but I am a firm believer in music being for everyone, and I think even the most hesitant to dip their toes in the dark pool of Sleep Token will be able to find something they like. The subject matters that are covered throughout this album are things that anyone can find some semblance of relatability in, often stirring up emotions even from me and my cold, dark bitter soul.

In summary… Dive in at your own risk!

On that note, Jacky out-y 🍇🤍🍊