ALBUM REVIEW: This Place Will Become Your Tomb – Sleep Token
There is one problem for SLEEP TOKEN as they prepare to release their second album. Sundowning. Their debut was so rapturously received that it almost seems impossible to follow. So many bands have fallen victim to the curse of the sophomore album over the years, but surely if anyone is capable of living up to expectations, it’s our favourite masked virtuosos. Achingly close to releasing This Place Will Become Your Tomb, tension is palpable among their adulant fanbase, a collective that has deified the band to an extent almost unheard of at such an early stage in their career.
Our first taste of the new record is Atlantic, opened by a delicate piano melody. It’s inexplicably comforting, and with only a few piano keys as tools, Vessel somehow manages to reassure us that they have done it again. It’s a track that is perfectly balanced as he lays his emphatic vocals atop a ballad-esque opening that gradually grows. Nautical synths push us into the second half of the track where guitars rush into the mix, and the drums begin to tumble with the same aplomb we are used to from the band. One track in, we can rest assured – this is still SLEEP TOKEN.
Hypnosis follows suit, this time wasting no time in giving us the crunching riffs we crave, nestled amongst haunted verses and a swell of catharsis. This is the darker side of the band, and it builds into a frenzied finish where we hear an abrasive scream lead us into a breakdown. SLEEP TOKEN have always been about balance, and Mine is next to take the baton and showcase another side to this rubix cube of progressive music. The tone here is somewhat brighter, electronics dance around the track, and the bite is gone, instead the instrumentation is applied with a delicate brush, rising in moments but overall secondary to Vessel’s impeccable vocals.
Like That is an interesting track. It begins with a mysterious intro, making further use of electronics, but somehow making them feel organic, like an alien heartbeat that pumps life into an eeriness that meanders through various stages of heaviness and bliss. It’s one of the album’s more multidimensional tracks, and a definite success story on the record. The two lead singles The Love That You Want and Alkaline are up next, bookended by an interludial acapella track, Fall For Me. Layered, distorted vocals take charge here, totally devoid of instruments and offering a moment of calm at the exact midpoint of the record.
A further piano-led track comes in the form of Distraction, offering another backdrop upon which Vessel can showcase his vocal delicacy. As usual, it isn’t just his ability to articulate that impresses, but the hauntingly beautiful lyrical talent. This band bleeds poetry, offering some of the most memorable and potent lyricism in modern music. It is beauty and shadow intertwined, applied expertly throughout each track with surgical precision. Vessel continues to wield his scalpel through Descending; definitely a song that leans towards the darker side. Pitch black electronics pulsate and build a thick atmosphere laced with intrigue and mystique, hints of industrialism and of course that innate SLEEP TOKEN mood.
Telomeres is – and there isn’t really any other way of putting this – simply stunning. Arguably further removed from their usual sound then any other song on the album; it could be a DEFTONES track; subtle piano ensues and the vocals take on a Chino Moreno–esq dreaminess, before bursting into shoegazey, prolific soundscape. It’s huge, and a jewel in the crown of a record that barely puts a foot wrong. As the track concludes with a swathe of soaring vocals, battering drums and elegant guitar work, you could be forgiven for feeling somewhat speechless.
All that, and still there are two tracks to go. As we reach the home straight, High Water offers another track that rises and grows like a tide. Subtle beginnings exhibit intricate drumming and echoed vox. “It seems my hell is your high water” repeats Vessel, as the song gains stature and builds into a heavy finale that sees another pained scream and overwhelming noise that fades out into the closing track, Missing Limbs. Featuring only Vessel and an acoustic guitar, it’s a serene way to close a record that has put our hearts through a blender. It’s tranquil and idyllic, and a chance to swim in yet more perfectly crafted lyrics and a voice that warms the soul.
In the opening paragraph we talked about whether or not SLEEP TOKEN could raise the high bar that they set with their debut album. It’s a question that will be asked and answered many times in the coming weeks, months and years, but one thing is crystal clear. They have another masterpiece in their discography. This Place Will Become Your Tomb is a journey, it’s an emotive dive into deep water and the kind of record that stays with you your whole life. It’s unforgettable, unique and damn close to flawless, impeccably honed by a band that possesses the Midas touch. Soak it up and enjoy it, because music doesn’t get much better than this.
Rating: 10/10
This Place Will Become Your Tomb is set for release September 24th via Spinefarm Records.
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