Sundowning

Edit: Grew on me

Nap Coin ⅓: The Mid Arrives
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Chapter 1: Okay. (Intro)

I’m being harsh in the first line, aren’t I? Well, my rating scale means a 75 is shit and you should never listen to it. Thanks for reading my review of Sleep Token by Sundowning, have a good day!

Sleep Token are a band that hail from the UK, which will be taken into account as I rate their albums (I will detract 5 points regardless of quality), but besides that, they’re pretty alright. Their aesthetics are interesting, as they have DEEP LORE. There’s something about an ancient being known as Sleep who is personified as the singer Vessel, who wears a… mask along with the other… members of the… band…

Sorry I kinda did a Sleep Token and died of boredom, but all I really wanted to say here is that they’re a very “with the time” band, jumping on trends such as masks and secret identities and genre fusions, the latter being what most people associate the band with. Their interesting blend of Alternative Metal with a djenty edge, Art Pop, and RnB has made them explode in popularity, unfortunately because of Tik Tok. This is obviously something that should not work, and, well…

Yes, take a look at the “popular albums” page and you’ll see their new album there, and it’s… controversial, to say the least? As somebody who really likes this band, I completely understand and even somewhat agree with what people are saying, but I figured I might as well shine some positive light on the band. They definitely have their flaws, but I am contractually obligated to enjoy their music because I bought a Chokehold shirt and the design is absolutely sick as hell like HOLY SHIT I WANT TO MEET THE DESIGNER OF THIS SHIRT AND-

I’ve been jumping from joke to joke, topic to topic, which fits the word I’d use to describe this album pretty well: Inconsistent. To put it bluntly, Sundowning is an album with monstrous highs, like some of the best songs of the 2010’s high, and some of the middest mid to ever mid in what is considered to be a mid album by a mid band. Sundowning isn’t their first charade, as they had two EP’s they released prior, creatively titled One and Two. I won’t be reviewing those, but it shows that Sleep Token was already around doing stuff before Sundowning. For their first attempt at a full length LP, I think Sundowning is an earnest attempt. As I said before, it is horribly inconsistent, but there are so many moments that make you lean back in your seat and go, “Woah.” It ain’t perfect, but god bless these masked men for attempting such an ambitious project.
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Chapter 2: Why The Mid (Production, Pacing, and Songwriting)

The production on this album, even if it can be described as too loud or overproduced, really works for this album. I love the way the art pop leads into the crushing metallic chugging of the guitars. The drums are really, REALLY loud, but I honestly don’t mind, in part because the drummer absolutely goes off on this album. Holy shit, the drumming is legitimately some of the best I’ve ever heard, and for such a tame sound relative to most metal, it had no business going this hard. Vessel’s vocal performance is one of the most decisive aspects of the band, and it can easily be the difference between somebody digging the band and somebody, well, not. I personally like Vessel’s vocals, I enjoy his odd timbre, I enjoy his screaming vocals massively, I enjoy his emotive, almost edgy performance. I dunno, I don’t mind Vessel

This album, for as decent as it is, struggles a bit with the pacing. Most of its hits are relegated exclusively to the first half, leaving the back half of the album feeling kind of limp. After Gods, the only song that reaches similar quality is Blood Sport, which to be fair, is a fantastic ending, but it leaves most of the other songs feeling quite, unfortunately, MID. Even some songs before Gods such as Give and Dark Signs don’t quite live up to the rest of the album. The good songs here are almost so good that they don’t leave room for any of the other songs to do anything, which is a severe blow against the album. Combine the inconsistent track list with the album’s 54 minute runtime, and Sundowning can feel like a drag to get through at points. Still, it’s not an unbearable experience, and I got through it multiple times without too much issue.

The band juggles metal and pop pretty handily, even if it’s a bit repetitive. Usually the song structures follow the same basic formula: Art pop songs that escalate into breakdowns. The best songs stray from this formula, and those are the songs that most people point to when talking about good Sleep Token songs. Speaking of those songs, let’s get to them.
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Chapter 3: The Magnificent and the Mid (Track Reviews)

Due to the different, shorter format of this review, I won’t review every single song, just the ones I feel represent my thoughts on the album best, as well as ones I just felt were noteworthy. I won’t talk about each song for as long either for the same reason, I want to keep these reviews within the 1000-2000 word mark so I can write these quick.

This Night Does Not Belong to God is a really solid opener, with some really pretty keyboards that welcome you in and prepare you for the absolute BANGER that follows.

The Offering is one of the most insane songs of 2019, seriously, I ascend any time I listen to it. The main riff, the quiet, suspenseful moments, Vessel’s biting vocals, and the overall atmosphere are all just so good. It’s only the second track of their first full length album, and we already have a contender for the best Sleep Token song. Easily a 10/10 song, I have no issues whatsoever with it.

Another awesome highlight is Higher, and while it doesn’t do anything particularly new with the formula I talked about before, it sure is an awesome execution of that formula. The bass on that track is unmatched, and the buildup is some of the best in their entire catalog. Obviously, the breakdown closes out the song with one hell of a bang.

Gods is the song that most people who don’t like the album will like, because it completely ditches everything the album has conditioned you to expect. Slow, poppy intro? None here, Gods gets straight to the point with a drum hit and crushing guitars. This song has Vessel’s nastiest performance for a good while, his voice doesn’t get this insane until Take Me Back to Eden, but that’s for another time. His shrill yells and harsh growls absolutely nail the pounding sound this song goes for: the riffage is immaculate, my head is MOVING to this song every single time. The breakdown incorporates a very heavy, djenty tone that almost reminds me of Meshuggah, which is obviously a W.

Blood Sport closes out the album on quite the sad note. Vessel’s vocals really shine here, being as expressive as he probably ever will, sounding like he’s about to break on the next line. It’s so ridiculously well done and somber and I have no other words, it’s so beautiful.

Unfortunately, that’s where the truly standout tracks end, and we get to the mid, starting with Give, which is possibly the middest song to ever mid. Seriously, I know the statement of “mid” is pretty much unserious at this point, but I can’t help it. Give has Vessel attempt to pitch his voice higher, which gets ridiculously annoying after two seconds. The instrumental doesn’t save the song either, since it’s probably as generic as the album gets.

Sugar would be a genuinely bad song if it weren’t saved by its genuinely really good breakdown, I’ll just get that out of the way. The breakdown is really ugly, and Vessel, while not screaming, ditches any sort of harmony his voice had before and just yelps, “SuGaAaAAaAaaRR”, which shouldn’t work, but it helps to cleanse the safe, tepid, annoying first part of the song. The riff used in the breakdown itself is really strong too, which is obviously a positive. It has the most boring lyrics of the whole album too, for example, “Sugar, I’ve got a taste for you” is just so repetitive and lame I can’t take it seriously. The song is just boring as all hell, which is unfortunate, since I wish they used such a good breakdown on a better base.

Say That You Will and Drag Me Under, while being alright songs on their own, are simply just that: alright. I have no reason to return to either of them simply because there are so many similar and way better Sleep Token songs I could be listening to. I don’t know, they’re both fine, but I can’t help but feel like they’re missing that “thing” that makes up the better Sleep Token songs.
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Chapter 4: Closing Thoughts

Overall, Sundowning is a flawed experience, but it’s one that I can’t help but admire. Even with all of its problems and mediocre songs, I like Sundowning quite a bit, and, if anything, it’s a great formula for Sleep Token’s later albums to build off of. Thanks for reading, and have a good day!