Particularly when their third studio album Take Me Back to Eden released in 2023, Sleep Token divided the metal world. On one hand, a band using low-tuned and extended-range guitars, crafting a deliberately shrouded image, and exhibiting themes of grandeur and esoterics must fall under the metal umbrella. At the same time, the band strays far enough off the beaten path to make one wonder if there was even a path to begin with. Now with their most recent album and major label debut Even in Arcadia, the English masked men are polarizing as ever… and I don't think that's such a bad thing.
As a whole, the metal fandom is a fickle mistress. In one breath, there are fans who will curse the newest deathcore act for doing the same old shit in the most “Simpsons did it!” fashion, then clamor when a legacy act like Slayer announces a reunion show. This isn't meant to rip on one band or the other; as Wrestling With Wregret's Brian Zane would say, “like what you like, don't be a dick.” Rather, I would urge the fanbases of these bands to consider the source and be mindful of the criticism they levy against one another, setting to one side the validity of whatever critique du jour may be.
In either case, Sleep Token are breaking down the gates which keep some folks from engaging with heavy music of any origin, taking things post-genre in such a way that, if nothing else, will get people talking. And in this age of instant gratification and social media buzz, that is a valuable benchmark to achieve. It is also through these flirtations and residencies in other genre parameters that the metal world can truly evolve, something which those of us in the nu metal sphere can certainly appreciate.
For the more devoted Sleep Token fan, I fear that “Provider” will do for this album what “The Summoning” did on their previous record, and that would be raise the population. To hell with a $5,000 baby credit, spread that single around to folks looking to conceive and let the magic happen as it will. As Tommy Lee once quipped, every good rock record needs a sex song, and “Provider” is absolutely that. With its dalliances into synthpop and trap, one could make a case for “Dangerous” being one as well, with its icepick synth work in the verses.
“Caramel” may be the most contentious of the songs on the album, though it is the most Sleep Token of the ten tracks on this disc. Twinkling keys and a reggaeton beat give way to drummer II maximizing their minutes with any and every fill they can think of, while still keeping 4/4 time. When the rest of the band kicks in for the chorus onward, things get sticky-sweet and palatable until they aren't, with the penultimate movement going start-stop black metal on us, with howls and blast beats galore. A further allegory for the internal torment protrayed by the lyrics, the song is balancing what the fans want versus what Vessel and his cohorts want, experimenting just enough to be fresh, but sticking to the syllabus enough to keep the diehards happy. It is a fine line to walk, or as Vessel himself puts it, “right foot in the roses, left foot on a landmine.”
Is Even in Arcadia a metal album? Not entirely. Songs like “Past Self” and the title track are hardly heavy, instead leaning more on power ballad, hip-hop, trap, and pop sensibilities to get their points across. Those looking for the low chugs and djenty goodness would be better sated by songs like “Emergence” or the drum clinic that is “Gethsemane.”
All things considered, if this is one's first impression of Sleep Token, perhaps their response will not be a positive one. This album feels thematically mature, picking up on the band's lore and their modus operandi which has been established over three previous LPs. Does this keep Even in Arcadia from being a successful outing? Far from it. But as a first port of entry for new worshippers, or for those who are a bit more selective about the ingredients in their metal gumbo, this may not resonate with them, and that is what it is.
What Even in Arcadia and Sleep Token as a whole do accomplish without question is getting folks talking about heavy music and genre crossover, which can only yield positive results in the long run.
Even in Arcadia is available now via RCA Records.
