By Daegan Waagmeester
Social Media Editor

Sleep Token is viewed by many as metal icons and viewed by others as a strange genreless musical cult, and both groups would be correct. On May 8, the band released their fourth full scale project Even in Arcadia, providing another cryptically beautiful piece to their story.

Even In Arcadia album art shows red and magenta vegetation growing up a mountain side. Photo provided by Spotify

Sleep Token is not your average group, with a fully anonymous team of four performers by the names of Vessel, One, Two and Three, and an interlinked story between each and every one of their songs and zero boundaries for their style, I find them to be truly impossible to pin down in a category other than “art.”

While their musical lore is rather deep, it boils down to a goddess and worshipper dynamic. The goddess figure goes by the name of  “Sleep” and her worshipper is the main character and lead singer of the group “Vessel.”  The group’s first three albums detail the beginning of Sleep and Vessel’s relationship, showing a story of a divinely offered redemption, love and the consequences that followed. I sincerely recommend a listen and a read of the lyrics to get a full understanding and appreciation for the group’s vision leading into Even In Arcadia.

Main character and lead singer, Vessel holding a blade. Photo provided by Spotify

Even In Arcadia is the story of Vessel’s self awareness of the toxic relationship that has developed with Sleep. Detailed even with the title of the record which could be interpreted as Even in Arcadia (a Greek term associated with a paradise like place). He cannot escape his relationship with Sleep.

The album opens with “Look To Windward,” where Vessel sulks on his relationship with Sleep asking “Will you listen just as my form starts to fission? Losing this war of attrition just as I drift away.” Showing his growing feeling of drowning in Sleep’s presence and love. Immediately followed by “Emergence,” where Vessel is audibly angry and begging for a change or an “emergence” of a different way of life. “So, come on, come on. Out from underneath, who you were, Come on, come on now. You know that it’s time to emerge.”

The fascinating part to me isn’t the story, regardless of it being superb, the unthinkable and seamless blend of various genres is truly remarkable regardless of your musical preference. Whether it is a jazzy saxophone solo in “Emergence” metal ballad of  “Look To Windward” the entire album remains constantly genreless.

The next two tracks roll and the theme of anger and despair continue until the album’s middle piece and turning point “Caramel” which is a borderline R&B love song of Vessel debating on the good and bad of the relationship with Sleep repeating the phrase “Stick to me like caramel.” This theme of back and forth between love and hate continues throughout the album’s latter half of this 10-song LP.

Following the standout tracks of “Even In Arcadia,” “Damocles,” and “Provider,” range from tear jerking ballads to heavy metal breakdowns. We reach the album’s tragically climactic finale with “Infinite Baths,” A somewhat minimalist, drum driven and vocal heavy piece concluding this story with the narrative of Vessel seemingly coming to terms with this relationship with Sleep illustrated by lines like, “Teeth of God, Blood of man, I will be what I am.”

Images of the differents symbols associated with the album “Even in Arcadia”. Photo provided by Spotify

Even In Arcadia and Sleep Token as a whole are not easy to understand, digest, or appreciate. However, with effort and an open mind I truly believe they accomplish something no other musical act has done before. With an uncategorizable sound and a confusing yet enticing narrative there is some aspect for all to appreciate with their music.