After experiencing the amazing record This Place Will Become Your Tomb, I had to get more of Sleep Token, and their debut album Sundowning was definitely what I had to listen to next. Sleep Token's reputation was widely brought about by this record, so I had high expectations for what this record would bring to the table, both as their acclaimed debut album and the album that put their name on the modern metal map.
It is amazing how you can see the beginnings of their unique style of modern metalcore throughout this record. This tracklist sees the different facets of their sound more distinctly separated into individual songs, rather than blended into every song. Their soft, trancelike sound is prominent in tracks like Drag Me Under, their signature metalcore sound is more evident in tracks like The Offering and Higher, their heavy aspect is blooming in tracks like Gods, their poppier sound is alive and well in tracks like Sugar and Say That You Will, and their emotional ballad sound is still as heartbreakingly powerful in tracks like Blood Sport.
I could see why this record was so astounding. With just 12 tracks, they've given the world a taste of so many new unique flavours of modern rock and metal. They blend together so many sounds that don't usually go together, and the outcome is a surreal yet elegant soundscape that can be as beautiful or as menacing as they want, or both at the same time.
There is nothing short of impressive about every part of this band. Sure, they definitely got better from Sundowning to This Place Will Become Your Tomb, but their musicality and skill in this record was still out of this world. I've already mentioned how much I love their vocalist and their drummer, but the guitarists' definitely have a lot of places to shine in this record.
Listening to Sundowning after This Place Will Become Your Tomb instead of before definitely made it weird to form a good impression of it. On the very first listen through, it felt less refined and slightly all over the place because I already had this impression of their blended sound imprinted in my mind. Over time though, I've learned to love this record for it's diversity, one that This Place Will Become Your Tomb comes second in. It allows for more intensity in the extremes of their sound, which to an extent makes it more memorable as well. I've started liking Blood Sport over Missing Limbs for the ultimate ballad track and Higher over Hypnosis for the semi-heavy metalcore banger (although I still love The Love You Want very, very much).
The deluxe version of Sundowning bestowed us with four live tracks: two covers, one live version of Blood Sport and a new song called Shelter. The stripped and softer sound of these four tracks from the room below give them all a much rawer and haunting sound. There isn't much to be bewildered about, they're just four songs with amazing vocals to listen to. In these four tracks, they almost sound like a normal pop musician doing an acoustic cover.
I was more than satisfied with this record. Sitting in the shadow of its successor, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as I wanted having fallen in love with their sophomore album, but Sundowning proved to be as commendable as its reputation suggested. What Sleep Token has managed to achieve in these two records is no small feat, and the sound that they've created has been one of my favourites in recent years. Worship indeed.
Rating: 9/10
