Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia (Album Review)

Sleep Token – Even in Arcadia
Released: May 9, 2025

Lineup

Vessel | vocals, keys, guitar, bass, production
II | drums

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Et in Arcadia, ego.  

Even in Arcadia, there am I.

That solemn remark often associated with the Latin proverb ‘Memento mori’ really sets the tone for Sleep Token’s latest offering, as a reminder that even when we seem to have found our utopia, there will always be a looming dark force to contend with. The anonymous UK collective have emerged from the aftermath of their monumental third LP Take Me Back To Eden with a fourth body of work that rivals its predecessor in terms of scale and immersion. Toto, we're not in Eden anymore. We are in Arcadia.

‘Look to Windward’ opens with a trepidatious 8-bit synthesiser that's begging to be let off the leash, and frontman Vessel croons seemingly through gritted teeth, lamenting of an eclipse within his being and asking an unknown figure if they’ll haunt the celestial movement that’s swallowing up his resolve to carry on. The space between gradually grows and grows until we’re finally treated to a MONSTROUS sucker punch of a breakdown, and the flow of this experience is thanks in no small part to Carl Bown’s superb production that is seen across the entire record. Sonically there’s a much bigger emphasis on electronic elements which adds beautiful textures to the record, and Arcadia is alive thanks to his ability to embellish the music beyond the confines of a speaker and expand the soundscape to places we can only imagine; chief among them being an arena.

America will be the lucky first to hear the new record in such an environment as Sleep Token are due to embark on a fully sold-out US arena tour in September.

Lead single ‘Emergence’ was our delicious first taste of Arcadia (you can read our thoughts here) and ‘Past Self’ serves as a refreshing palate cleanser with a driving trap beat that draws focus onto Vessel’s flow of pseudo-rapping which made itself known on their previous release, but now it seems to have fully integrated itself into the band’s tool kit. This will be the first of many instances across the record where the fourth wall seems to break and we are offered a glimpse inside the man behind the mask ever since the band’s meteoric rise to fame in the last two years, and it’s not all roses. There are landmines to conquer as well. More on that later.

‘Dangerous’ finds Vessel still very much at odds with the deity “Sleep” and indicating that even though he’s made it through many trials and tribulations, Sleep is omnipresent and continues to torment him, despite his pleas to dance forever.  

‘Caramel’ made enormous waves throughout the music community upon release as it was heard over 28 million times in two weeks on Spotify, and tongues began to wag within the Sleep Token fanbase as Vessel appeared to completely drop the musical visage and directly speak about how fame and fandom has taken a toll on his experience as an artist, with his identity being thrown back at him on stage and online, compounding the stress of being a musician in today’s age of connectivity. This sentiment is achingly conveyed through the delicate production and vulnerability on full display whether its despair in the verses or anguish in the shockingly heavy breakdowns that sees drummer II show off his precision with a blast beat, briefly taking the track into black metal territory.

Title track ‘Even in Arcadia’ is cinematic in every sense of the word as the piano driven piece is underscored with sweeping string arrangements that set the stakes for the medieval setting established in the visualisers. The demons that Vessel thought he vanquished in his past are back with a vengeance, and thus emerges the thesis previously mentioned; The battle is never truly over even when we think we’ve won the war. ‘Provider’ on the other hand, serves as a sister track of sorts to 'Mine' from 2021's This Place Will Become Your Tomb. A devotional in the form of a sensual R&B track which shows Vessel's unwavering desire to be there for a lover from his past, but it leaves things on an ambiguous note as while he is ready to give his love what they need, is there a chance things may fall back into old patterns?

Third single ‘Damocles’ strips back the grandiosity of previous tracks for a more intimate offering that contemplates the overwhelming pressure of continuing to create despite how wonderful things may seem on the surface (not unlike the titular sword which dangles by a single thread above a revered king), and what kind of legacy someone will leave behind if what they’ve created ceases to exist. As a delightful addition, we're treated to more of II's incredible skill on the drums as a chopping free-for-all takes us out of the final chorus.

The last two steps in our journey through Arcadia pack the biggest emotional wallop, as Vessel lays it all bare. ‘Gethsemane’ pleasantly surprises with a journey from midwestern emo to arena rock to trip hop, as Vessel sings in a heartbreaking falsetto despairing over a failed relationship where his desire for authentic connection was met with the other party’s reluctance and dependence on alcohol to even want to touch him. In a change of structure, Sleep Token have foregone the climax/denouement ending of albums past, in favour of closing with one final eight-minute track that encapsulates the entire experience of Even in Arcadia by putting us behind the mask and preparing us for the final showdown with the big bad that’s been tormenting Vessel this entire time. ‘Infinite Baths’ makes you feel everything, from blissful ascension to brutal, cathartic rage that fades away into nothingness as the cycle of violence continues, because it becomes apparent by the end that opener and closer ‘Look to Windward’ and ‘Infinite Baths’ are two side of the same coin, with Vessel screaming the refrain “will you haunt this eclipse in me?” as the record comes to a close.

Even in Arcadia sees Sleep Token finding a formula that brings electronic elements much more to the forefront while still delivering a human, exhilarating journey that takes the listener to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Prepare. Observe. Consume.

Worship.

Rating: 9/10
‍Even in Arcadia is Out May 9th via RCA Records. Pre-Order here
Review By Oliver Midson @olivermidson