Even in Arcadia - Sleep Token
2 years have passed since Sleep Token took the world by storm with their breakthrough album, Take Me Back to Eden. After several ARG puzzles and countless intriguing marketing ploys this year, we finally have the answer to what a follow-up from the band looks like: A more mature and evolved sound that doesn’t benefit the band as greatly as you’d imagine. I took my time with this record, allowing it to soak into my brain a full week after release. At first brush, something felt “off” and wasn’t clicking with me, so I felt like maybe I was the problem, and I was misinterpreting some level of genius staring me in the face. As the week wore on, I felt my interest waning with Even in Arcadia. Most of the songs lacked the teeth found on their previous record, the genre-shifts have become predictable, and Vessel’s lyrical writing revealed itself to be the weakest part of the record with many of his lyrics being recycled from Take Me Back to Eden (how many times are you going to “cough up blood”?). I can honestly say that I was surprised at not only my reaction to the record but the record itself. I expected much more from the band that shook up the music scene the past two years, blending Prog/Pop/Metal/Hip Hop in a way accessible to the mainstream in a way we’ve only seen a handful of times I can recall. Even in Arcadia is a clear progression in the band’s songwriting ability (not lyrically), but it comes at a cost. Much of the album felt like it was meandering and led me to lose interest and focus quite often, which I couldn’t say for their previous release (that I gave a 4.5/5). Take Me Back to Eden was a record that scratched a musical itch I didn’t know I needed scratched and is one I revisit frequently, hardly ever skipping a song since the entire album is a full package with a purpose and direction.
Even in Arcadia is not an album without bright moments though. While most of the record didn’t land for me, there were a few standout tracks that I have since added to my daily rotation, as they felt much closer to the Sleep Token I had grown to love, not this more polished version that seems to be losing its charm after signing with a major label. The first track on the record, “Look to Windward” has a slow build-up that rises before crashing down into Metal chaos, transitions to a more Hip-Hop focused feel, then into a piano ballad before heading back to a Metal thunderous exit. “Emergence” is a blend of Hip-Hop, Metal, and I guess Jazz(?) that is fun and likely my favorite track on the album. I enjoyed the “rapping” over the whirly electronic music bed with crunchy but clear guitars and punchy drums. The song opens up about halfway through, treading into more of a ballad feel before bringing the distortion back in. The song then ends with a beautiful saxophone outro that was a welcome surprise! Something I kept hearing in “Emergence” was the heavier motifs Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and the Magnificent Six created for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack whenever Electro was involved. This is a super deep pull that maybe two people will understand, but I had to bring it up. “Dangerous” and “Infinite Baths” are the other two tracks that stood out from the rest for me, with the latter having more of the Prog/Metal sound I was looking for, with some simple but great chugging riffs three-quarters of the way into the song.
Even in Arcadia is a record I’d suggest to people on the fence about heavier music since there isn’t much here to scare them off. If someone were looking for the best Sleep Token had to offer, I’d advise they look toward Take Me Back to Eden. I want to make it clear though that while I’m spouting a fair amount of negative criticism toward this record, I do not believe this is a bad record. Even in Arcadia is merely not the album I was looking for from Sleep Token, and instead it feels like this is living in the shadow of their previous record. This is the equivalent of a phenomenal film coming out, only for it to receive a sequel that is decent, but doesn’t live up to how great the original was. Take Me Back to Eden by no means is their “original”, as they had a few albums out prior, but it has become the gold standard that all future releases from them will be compared to. There is a rumor that this record is part of a double-album concept, with the second half releasing later this year. I selfishly hope this is the case and the second half offers more opportunities for the band to go full-tilt into their Metal side, and that the first half was supposed to be a lighter affair. If not, then I guess I fell victim to the whole 2017 Kendrick Lamar double-album conspiracy all over again (remember DAMN/NATION anyone?).