Even In Arcadia

4.45

PICKMETER

4.30

HMB

4.07

CRITICS

band:

Sleep Token

release date: May 09, 2025

label: RCA

type: Full-length

HMB´S REVIEW

Sleep Token has always been one of those bands that linger in the back of my mind: mysterious, emotional, and constantly pushing their own boundaries. From their earliest releases, they’ve shown an uncanny ability to blend genres and craft immersive soundscapes. After the massive success of Take Me Back to Eden, expectations were sky-high. And Even In Arcadia, their first release after signing with RCA Records — a significant leap in their career — felt like it had something important to say.

Listening to Even In Arcadia feels like stepping into a dream woven from countless musical threads. There’s metal, pop, trap, ambient textures, all seamlessly stitched together into a sound that feels unique to them. And what’s most striking is how natural this fusion feels throughout the album. It’s not forced or gimmicky, it flows with intention.

Tracks like 'Caramel' and 'Damocles' stood out to me for their emotional weight and layered production. Vessel’s vocal performance is especially powerful throughout gliding between softness and intensity with such fluidity that it becomes part of the storytelling itself.

The album isn’t just a series of songs, it’s a dynamic musical journey, punctuated by moments of intense brightness, peaks that showcase the band's creativity and technical skill. Even a track like 'Past Self', which some might see as a weaker link, plays an important role in the sonic exploration the album sets out to achieve. It’s all part of pushing boundaries, which this band does so unapologetically.

In the end, Even In Arcadia strikes me as an album that embraces growth, creativity, and complexity. It’s not meant to please everyone at every turn, but it doesn’t need to. What matters is the band’s commitment to evolving, to continuing to craft songs that only they could make. And that’s exactly what they’ve done here: a rich, intricate record that pulls you in with both beauty and tension, and rewards those who are willing to fully immerse themselves.

Review by Troadie - HMB´s Staff