Genre : Modern metal, Alternative metal
Released : September 24th, 2021
Label : Spinefarm Records
FFO : Deftones, Loathe, Scott James
It's a tricky situation when a band comes out with a debut album that sets the bar miles high in terms of quality and is so unanimously well received that it becomes an instant staple of contemporary music within the scene in which that band exists.
Following up on 2019's excellent "Sundowning" was no small task.
However, Sleep Token have managed to maintain the core elements of what makes their sound so unique and have further developed certain areas, most notably the keys, synths and vocal arrangements on "This Place Will Become Your Tomb".
Yes, it's true that there is less of a focus on the heavy facet of their sound on this record.
Instead the spotlight is put on bringing this "underwater" atmosphere the band had already flirted with on "Drag Me Under" to life, in order to fit the album's lyrical and visual idea of sinking down to the deepest depths of the ocean into a dark metaphorical watery grave.
On the other hand, this means that when the heavier elements do kick in, the payoff is even more satisfying and unexpected, and even when the big chunky breakdowns are absent, the guitars are never too far away even if they are not at the forefront of the mix, they bring that bassy crunchiness which helps spice up certain sections.
I do however feel like adding guitars to tracks such as "Descending" could have added more impact and uniqueness by creating those signature contrasts in dynamics Sleep Token excel at, which, don't get me wrong, are definitely still present here for the most part.
Now, my one big problem with this new record lies within the dynamics at work in terms of how the overall album itself flows from track to track.
The order in which the songs are sequenced does not always feel very cohesive and there are two major points for me where the album's pacing is utterly disrupted in my opinion.
Firstly with "Fall For Me" who abruptly, and even quite rigidly, forces itself as a midway point for the album, which I assume is meant to be a marker announcing a slight change in musical direction for the remainder of the album's run-time, but that doesn't really ever happen...
And then, my biggest gripe here, is with "Missing Limbs" which completely destroys all the atmosphere and "world-building" the band has been weaving for the past fifty minutes as far as I'm concerned.
I can understand from a lyrical standpoint why this could work as a closer to the album's narrative, but between the very blunt and personal subject matter and the acoustic ballad style performance, I can't help but feel as though Ed Sheeran just barged in during an open mic session where Sleep Token happened to be playing a full set and it just takes me out of the whole experience this album has to offer so badly.
One last thing that kind of upsets me is that the band succeeds in communicating that "underwater" theme musically but less so when it comes to depicting the conceptual idea of sinking deeper and deeper towards the depths throughout the record.
Something which The Ocean had managed to pull off quite nicely on their 2013 album "Pelagial" by adding variations to repeated leitmotifs and the addition of ambiant water-related sounds.
Now, this does not make "TPWBYT" a bad album by any means, far from it.
The performances are as tight as ever, most notably the drums and the vocals (although I could understand that Vessel's regular use of vocalising may seem too excessive for the taste of some). The sound design is also really immersive while the production work is absolutely stellar once again.
Although it does lack the cohesion of its predecessor in my opinion, "This Place Will Become Your Tomb" still is a captivating journey to embark on regardless and is likely to emotionally resonate with a wide portion of its listeners in some shape or form.
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