Review: Sleep Token – Two EP
Fresh faces in the progressive metal scene Sleep Token release their second EP, Two. Sleep Token, more than many new bands, seem to be determined to carve some form of individuality from their clear influences and predecessors. They draw from the progressive tradition of bands like Tool, who build complexity from the base of an alternative metal sound rather than the power metal base of a band like Dream Theater. And unlike a band such as Soen, Sleep Token distinguish themselves from Tool and get off to a successful start in building their own sound.
All three of the tracks on this EP are two-sided, as they all follow a similar pattern of evolution. From a tender, emotive passage to an eventual chugging metal climax. For me, the high points are the softest moments as they are not only delivered by a well-trained and technically proficient vocalist, but also feature unusual and captivating instrumentation. Calcutta features a metallic guitar tone with an electronic, almost glitch-y dressing. This is juxtaposed with the vocalist’s tightly controlled and traditional vocal style and range. In Nazareth, the piano-led beginning section is complimented with some spacious synth work. A beautiful vocal melody ushers the track in and later during the refrain, the vocalist delivers a breath-y, ethereal tonal triumph, solidifying this track as the vocal highlight of the project. In Jericho, the guitar lick in the soft introductory section is almost reminiscent of smooth jazz and soul guitar work, but again as a sort of contrast, the lyrics are much more visceral and unorthodox than what you might find in these genres, most notably the refrain ‘you taste like new flesh’. This refrain again has a particularly great delivery accompanied by hollow keys that fill the background and conjure a memorable atmosphere.
Moving to the other side of the album, which although is never poorly executed, and is sometimes quite great, is overall more inconsistent and not as strong. Calcutta’s heavy segment is a re-telling of the already established rhythms and grooves of the song, and the final metal part is met with walls of ambient distorted guitars, leading to an eventual muffling of the sound and a fantastic fade-out. Nazareth embraces the djent form most evidently of any of the tracks, and I commend Sleep Token for using this as just an element as part of their greater tapestry as opposed to the wave of bands who seem to overuse the style today. Jericho however, seems to bring to the forefront the problem that the metal side of this album has. Around the two minutes and fifty second mark, the uniqueness they have so brilliantly created is somewhat diluted by a quite typical brand of modern metal. It feels very reminiscent of the kind of compositions that many contemporary alternative metal groups may put together and is missing the imaginative spark that much of this EP puts on display. This is just a prime example, but much of the metal moments, although done well, leave me slightly uninspired.
Overall, this EP makes me excited for the band’s future. It features stunning bits of lyricism with little turns of phrase like ‘melting skyward’, great vocals, originality, unique instrumentation and vision, the last three of which is essential in this day and age of metal music. However, for their next effort, I hope the band can bring some of that originality into their metal chunks, and challenge the listener in its heaviness as much as it does in its light parts. Nevertheless, this is one of the better releases I’ve heard this year across all genres.
3.5/5
Highlights: Nazareth
