To say that someone’s music “defies categorization” is a simple way for music pundits to quantify the often eclectic, grab-bag stylistic tendencies of certain types of artist. Yours truly is guilty of having used the expression a time or two, while generally attempting to hold it in reserve for cases that well and truly warrant it. English metal band Sleep Token is one such case. They are a metal band thru and thru, of that there’s no doubt, but to dismiss their style as falling under the loose, oft-touted umbrella of “alternative metal” would truly undersell exactly how diverse their sonic palette is. In fact, Sleep Token defy not only musical categorization, but categorization of any kind, employing such tried and true mystery-fostering methodology as wearing masks in all of their public performances, shying away from interviews, and keeping out of the public eye in general. Even their names are obscured behind monikers and home-brewed mythos; only “Vessel,” frontman and primary songwriter (and, in the band’s lore, chosen instrument of the god “Sleep”) is given something resembling a name, leaving the remaining instrumentalists to be numerically christened as II, III, IV (excepting a group of tour-only backing vocalists, known only by their collective name “Espera”). As such we can’t tell what lies behind Sleep Token’s public facade, but we can say with certainty that beneath all the faux-mythological fanfare and on-stage theatrics is a band that truly taps from every possible well to craft their own unique blend of heavy. Their latest track “Emergence” – both the lead single for their upcoming Even in Arcadia LP, and their first new release in general since 2023 – is part and participle of that same mosaic-like sound that sets the band apart from their peers.
“Emergence,” immediately sets a tone that balances yearning and mystique, with some expressive piano chords and clean guitar accompaniment under Vessel’s emotive paean creating an atmosphere as tender as it is dark. A low, warped vocal refrain furthers the illusion of darkness and depth before the addition of rapidly arpeggiated synths and a dead-ringer metal drumbeat kick the affair up a notch. At this point, and with this instrumentation, “Emergence” almost smacks of Dark EDM as much as it does of progressive metal (the line between the two being thinner than most might expect), and only the tell-tale time signature shenanigans of the percussion ensure a step over the line and into the latter camp. With the addition of down-tuned, heavily distorted guitars we finally arrive in a soundscape more typical of metal proper, and from here on out the tune waxes and wanes between obsidian fury and florid desire in lockstep with Vessel’s lead. Finally, nearly everything but piano subsides in a return to the song’s initial evocations, complete with the addition of – get this – a smoky, noire-style Sax solo to give the song one final twist in its tail. It’s a final touch at once unexpected but also, for Sleep Token, true-to-form.
“Emergence,” like its creators, is difficult to sum up in simple terms. Within its 6.5 minutes Sleep Token crafts an odyssey in the true sense of the term, effortlessly charting a course through a torrent of varying genres and what, on the surface, might seem to be conflicting musical idioms. Its initial appearance as some for variety of contemporary progressive metal vanishes like a mirage under closer observation, revealing instead something still more unique and idiosyncratic – something that could come from Sleep Token’s singular artistic voice.