Album Review: Sleep Token’s “Even In Arcadia” – Spotlight Report
“Even In Arcadia” brings back Sleep Token’s signature genre-bending, otherworldly sound, with Vessel (AKA Leo Leo George Faulkner) once again doing what he does best – guiding listeners through an emotional, often haunting soundscape with his shape-shifting vocals. The atmosphere is thick, the metaphors are deep, and the mood rarely lifts. But whether that’s a strength or a weakness depends on what you’re hoping to get from the album.
Opener “Look To Windward” sets the tone with a delicate synth line that feels almost 8-bit, a subtle hint at the ethereal and introspective trip that lies ahead. Like much of the album, it’s not built for singles or casual listening. Instead, “Even In Arcadia” plays like one continuous narrative – slow burns that rise into thunderous climaxes, with little variation in structure from track to track.
The title track “Even In Arcadia” stands out with a sense of quiet melancholy wrapped in a deceptively simple melody. It carries a bittersweet tone that echoes the album’s overarching theme: finding beauty or divinity in fleeting moments, even in a world that feels fractured.
The lyrics lean heavily into symbolism, especially on standouts like “Gethsemene,” which references the biblical garden where Jesus was arrested, adding a heavy emotional layer. “Damocles” might be one of the darkest moments on the album – brooding, intense, and lyrically dense, while the album’s closer “Infinite Baths,”wraps everything in an almost cinematic stillness. It feels less like a song and more like a final breath – a quiet, fading moment of reflection that leaves the listener suspended in thought.
That said, the album does start to feel one-dimensional in places. The slow-build-into-screams formula, while effective, starts to blur songs together, making it tough to pick out standout tracks unless you’re listening from start to finish. Fans looking for the heavier, riff-driven side of Sleep Token may find themselves missing the weight that earlier albums balanced more evenly.
Still, “Even In Arcadia” offers a solid, cohesive journey for those willing to dive in fully. It might divide listeners, especially those expecting more dynamic shifts, but there’s no denying the vision and emotional depth behind it. Sleep Token continue to evolve – just maybe a little more slowly this time around.
EVEN IN ARCADIA – OUT NOW
https://sleeptoken.lnk.to/EIA
