Review Summary: Take Me Back to Eden is a marvelous epic demonstrated by journeying across various soundscapes which sees the band peaking to new heights while remaining humbled in other areas.
The entity that Sleep Token is, or has grown to, is as complicated and sophisticated as ever on their latest release, Take Me Back to Eden. Featuring many stylistic twists and turns, Sleep Token provides a listening experience that will mesmerize, captivate and delight those who are willing to open themselves up to the complexity of their identity. In their newest release, Sleep Token continues to represent their devotion to the deity known as “Sleep”, while exploring themes of reverence, relationship toxicity, and the perspective of someone dealing with someone else’s crippled mental vulnerability. Take Me Back to Eden is a marvelous epic demonstrated by journeying across various soundscapes which sees the band peaking to new heights while remaining humbled in other areas.
Opening track, “Chokehold,” introduces a wide variety of musical styles that the band will cover down the line. The song builds and progresses in dynamic range featuring a Hozier-style vocal performance from frontman, Vessel, as well as heavy drums and distorted-driven guitar and bass. Much like many other remarkable occurrences on this record such as, “Granite,” “The Summoning,” and “Rain”- there are elemental fusions and progressive forms of songwriting appointed on this record that, on their own would seem typical and recognizable, but together, move forward in dynamic harmony that compliments the hell out of one another. Some shining moments on this record come from the track, “Aqua Regia” where this song cascades beautifully and the chord movements support the section changes. The tone overall is greatly charming and doesn’t feel like it overdoes itself. “Ascensionism,” is another instance on this record that emphasizes the convoluted, stylistic fluidity that Sleep Token encompasses as a unit. The production on this record features a more natural sounding mix yet holds powerful dynamics across the board coming from boomy and expressive drums, a rumbling bass feature, aggressive-changing guitar, and a vigorous vocal performance. The placement of each song on the record is another illustration of detail that exemplifies the refinement that Sleep Token have as a band when it comes to making these decisions. Each song seems to flow organically into each other and nothing feels too jarring or disconnected. It is mystifying to observe how many influences this one record alone contains. There is a bit of everything here including alternative metal, electronic-pop, and even sprinkles of R&B/Hip-Hop that can be digested leaving you to enjoy the acoustic odyssey, despite your own genre preference.
A few moments on Take Me Back to Eden showcase the fault in what happens when a band ventures into this great unknown and come back successful in variety- any time they color inside the lines, disappointment follows. In the tracks, “Are You Really Okay?” and closer, “Euclid,” Sleep Token finds themselves between a rock and a hard place. The songs here don’t do anything to awfully disservice the record; “Are You Really Okay?” showcases a simplistic approach to a very surreal subject matter of self-harm and “Euclid” acts as the album’s coup de grâce of sorts. The problem arises when there is little in variety that compliment different sections of the song like these songs’ predecessors have done so well. Rather than saying these songs are bland or lack character, the formulaic composition or weakness in sonic cohesiveness are the disheartening differences where they fail to unlock their own potential.
My experience listening to Take Me Back to Eden was an exceptional one. There were many times throughout the one-hour journey where I found myself engrossed in the powerful dynamic of sounds and narrative, wondering what was going to come next. On very few occasions, these moments were a bit more predictable than others, but there was always something I wasn’t expecting and I rarely came out disappointed. The band’s musicianship is skillful and well-performed on this project while each member brings it to the table in many ways that benefit what the song requires while also exhibiting their own uniqueness and talent. Sleep Token’s ability to encapsulate a unique variety of their own is such a thrilling and refreshing sound to hear and I hope we get to encounter more of this in the future.
