ALBUM REVIEW: Take Me Back To Eden – Sleep Token

Since 2019 the metal scene has been engrossed in the enigmatic realm of SLEEP TOKEN. Sundowning became a cult hit, while 2021’s This Place Shall Become Your Tomb took the world by storm. Very rarely will a metal act transcend its scene and become commonplace in the playlists of pop, hip-hop or R&B fans. From DEMI LOVATO sharing the band’s music with their millions of fans to DAUGHTRY performing an acoustic rendition of Chokehold during their set at the Royal Albert Hall, it seems SLEEP TOKEN cannot be escaped. The time comes once more to worship as the highly anticipated Take Me Back To Eden finally releases.

This third full-length weighs in with a hefty runtime of over an hour. The title track alone is over eight minutes long. Housed within the 12 tracks however are worlds of ecstasy, misery, and unrequited love. Following the campaign of Sundowning, half the album’s tracks have already been exposed to the public realm. The beauty of this lies in the context however. There’s an argument that opening Chokehold should be swapped with The Summoning for ease of flow. Pedantic comment aside, Chokehold’s massive riffs bleeding into The Summoning’s bombastic lower end is an aural delight. Those who indulged in the simplistic accompanying videos will finally find the reason why that is. SLEEP TOKEN are about mental imagery rather than the physical. A love interest grabbing us by the synapses to the point we become utterly consumed.

Consumed would be the world of the album as each moment is utterly engrossing. With full knowledge of that SLEEP TOKEN use the listener’s amygdala as their playground. The swerve in the second half of The Summoning oozes sexiness – something not entirely new for SLEEP TOKEN but something rarely utilised. It’s simply one of those tracks which crawls into the reveries of the mind and sinks its hooks into the flesh. This leaves us susceptible to the vulnerability of Granite. Begging to be seen as “more than just a body in your passenger seat”, the theme of being lesser than a romantic interest makes a welcome return, though it isn’t instantly obvious. Nor should it be. Settled within a chilled atmospheric bordering on the lo-fi end of the spectrum, Granite’s message becomes a ticking time bomb which explodes soon after the track’s end, to the point it takes away from Aqua Regia, although not so much that it becomes a filler track.

Lulled into a sense of security, Vore’s abrasiveness comes as a surprise. The black metal-inspired screeching shows an unanticipated side of Vessel. Perhaps SLEEP TOKEN’s heaviest track to date, Vore is the Latin suffix relating to eating. Some will see the reference to vorarephilia, the erotic desire to either be consumed or to consume another, with the inclusion of “will we remain stuck in the throat of gods?”. But some will also understand the metaphorical consumption of “there’s always something in the way / I want to have you to myself for once”. The duality of SLEEP TOKEN comes through also in the meshing of the visceral black metal-inspired screeching and wall of noise with the more melancholic atmosphere of the chorus.

Delving into the deeper cuts comes with Ascensionism and the return of the notion of feeling lesser than. We may start by traversing a calm tide of insecurity though there is an edge to “you take what you want then leave”. This is something which is expanded upon with what some will describe as an “emo rap section”. The beat of the drum machines turns the tide as Vessel questions “who made you like this?”. It may not be for everyone but the charm of SLEEP TOKEN comes with having these genres bend to their will in such a way that it works in a catastrophically relatable fashion. The seven-minute track is indeed a slow burn yet the release of “you made me wish I could disappear” brings it to a devastating crescendo which prickles the eyes with hot tears.

The tears flow freely with Are You Really Okay, an ode to someone with self-destructive tendencies, and The Apparition which is a tribute to an unrequited or otherwise lost love. The former is a beautifully placid acoustic number, the brightness of the guitars contrasting the dark, at times graphic, subject matter. The question of “are you really okay?” hits hard in moments where the listener may not have delved into their mental state much beneath the surface platitudes. The closing “please don’t hurt yourself again” may sound fragile but carries the weight of a wrecking ball. This is why only The Apparition could have followed. For those who are part of The Grieving Partners Club – the description of a ghost disappearing a few moments after awakening will be particularly devastating. Being invited to “hijack heaven with another memory” within a dreamscape is blissfully ruinous. Vessel beautifully depicts the feeling of the scar of losing a loved one never truly fading, to the point a hard lump forms in the throat upon each listen.

DYWTYLM suffers the same fate as Aqua Regia in that it follows such a levelling track. Synths twinkle like stars in the night sky as we’re brought back to reality and that question of are we ever really enough. “Maybe not that you conceal your feelings, they just don’t exist” reiterates that point that settling for someone who does not or cannot reciprocate your love is more devastating than being alone. With this being said, DYWTYLM can become one tone in terms of instrumental. It simply doesn’t go anywhere. Layered vocals akin to Fall For Me from This Place Shall Become Your Tomb make a return, but it simply doesn’t hit the same. Rain proves itself to be the sleeper track of the record. Talk of wanting to be saturated by someone’s love and yearning for them to “cleanse me with pleasure” sits atop an undulating instrumental mimicking waves of torrential downpour. It may not grab the listener’s attention upon first listen, but with further plays, this rain becomes deliciously addictive.

Which brings us to the title track. Eden is stereotypically referred to as the kingdom Adam and Eve were cast out of. Do we return to it upon death? Are Eden and Heaven interchangeable. The “ancient canopies” Vessel refers to could well be the shadow of Heaven’s cloud structures. Take Me Back To Eden takes the time to build a utopia we desire to reside in for the rest of time. Though it becomes littered with temptation in the form of “diamonds in the trees / pentagrams in the night sky”. The phrase uttered so often yet always differently keeps us on our toes as we follow the path of impulse. SLEEP TOKEN take us on a ride through these inclinations yet still hold that desire to return home to Eden. Though with references to earlier track The Summoning and a call-back to Sundowning’s The Night Does Not Belong To God the band prove each person’s version of paradise is wildly different. If the night doesn’t belong to God, then who does it belong to? Wonder no more as Vessel finally declares “the night belongs to you” in a euphoric moment.

Had the album ended there, we would have had no complaints. However with every peak comes a trough. The title track’s counterpart is Euclid. Named after the Greek mathematician who is often referred to as the Father of Geometry, his text The Elements has had a staggering one thousand editions published – second only to the Bible. It’s a shame the closing track meets the same fate as many previously mentioned. Were SLEEP TOKEN perhaps trying to recreate the success of Missing Limbs? It’s a possibility but sadly falls short and becomes forgettable in its way.

As with any album, Take Me Back To Eden has its highs and its lows. Though as self-proclaimed rap god EMINEM once said “my biggest flops are your greatest hits”. SLEEP TOKEN have set the bar so high even they sometimes fall short. But the tracks which do are still wonderful odes to the pain which we all face; that of simply existing. Take Me Back To Eden will have fans frothing at the maw trying to dissect each morsel more than we have done. It’s an album which borders on perfection but much like those who came before, perfection sits just out of reach. 

Rating: 9/10

Take Me Back To Eden is set for release on May 19th via Spinefarm Records.

Like SLEEP TOKEN on Facebook.