Sleep Token – Man v Music

Sleep Token – “This Place Will Become Your Tomb”: Album Review

Ethereal and chaotic all swirled into one complex creation, the shrouded mystery of Sleep Token return with their second highly anticipated album, aptly named This Place Will Become Your Tomb.”

Although not nearly as prevalent in the castings of metal as their debut of Sundowning had in 2019, TPWBYT still harks back to the chaotic rage-inducing of Gods and Offering with Alkaline and Hypnosis in this second attempt of divinity.

Where it lacks in overall oomph for a metal/rock album, it makes up for its quality through experimentation and electronics. One thing I certainly love about bands is when they don’t exactly conform to their first sounds from their debut – and start to branch out to new avenues and new possibilities of drawing new fanatics.

Lead singer Vessel has a perfect gothic tone to his voice – streaked with a guttural voice and a deep monotone to make the ocean weep. With it, comes to the experimental value of Sleep Token – inclusive of creepy piano, programmed beats and delectably delicious guitar grooves – which personally, I love. It may take a listening to get the other metal-heads on board, but I don’t personally mind the new image and poetic enchantment they’re bringing to this work.

My favourites on-repeat are certainly pop-inducing Mine, heavy-herald of Distraction and pre-amble of The Love You Want.

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The other-worldly concept of this band is simply divine, and I can’t get enough of it.

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I may very well hark over to The Night Does Belong To God every once in a while, but damn does it get me more excited to see them live next year.

Sleep Token – ‘Sundowning’ Album Review

Eternally divinine, Sleep Token are one of the most unique new underground acts in the heavy rock and progressive metal heading to leave its quarters of worship and share its beauty with us.

Definitive, powerful and expertly put together, Sundowning is one of my favourites that I just keep coming back to, simply to relive. I implore everyone else to do the same.

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But, don’t be put off by the glorious display of devil-like incarnations, this album is not to be trifled or spited with. Like inhabited spirits, they simply create abounding music – and simply worship those creatives before them.

Like carefully aligned pieces of music, for me, the album invokes a masterpiece – and I love it. Beautiful melodic performances, a sorrowful vocalist, the precisely-timed chaos of the arching drums, and the illusion and mystery that invokes such a piece is enough to upkeep conversations going about just how strong the progressive-metal scene is in the UK.

The sheer anonymity of the British collective just adds further to the mystery, too. Songs such as, The Offering, Dark Signs and The Night Does Not Belong to God are somewhat showing their worship to an ancient deity that can only be identified by ‘Sleep’, who appeared to the band’s lead singer, ‘Vessel’, in a dream.

I know about it just as much as you do, but you’ve got to admit it’s pretty darn cool. But where frantic progressive-metal reins in their expressiveness, moments of fleeting beauty appear so softly in the ambient tranquil of such songs like, Levitate and Give.

The album does not begin to falter though, with elements of rage – maybe due to the lack of worshipping to their inhabitants – driving us straight into Gods and Say That You Will. The full 12-listing of the album ends with a beauty that I can’t stop repeating – Blood Sugar. A chorus of melodic piano, a hymn of vocals and progressive rhythmic art, it’s a worthy contender to end it right.

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If they’re planning on delighting the Gods with this as The Offering, the Vessel, and his collaborative collective, should be mightily satisfied with their efforts.