How big are Sleep Token going to become? That's the question that arises with every listen to Even in Arcadia, the most-anticipated stadium-sized metal album of 2025.
For fans, the two-year wait for the follow-up to 2023's Take Me Back to Eden has been worth the seemingly never-ending countdown, and Even in Arcadia showcases remarkable nous in terms of dynamics, working diverse influences into a sound, and adding to the mystique that has played such a big part in the English outfit's success to date.
Masked and majestic, Sleep Token juxtapose crushing riffage with moments of what-just-happened? beauty, exemplified by recent singles Emergence and Caramel and the title track. Indeed, the piano is arguably as big a part of this record's allure as the guitars.
Lights on or off, from left turns - R&B, emo, and even nods to Pink Floyd are part of the package - to a-life-laid-bare lyrics, there is a lot to unpack here, and Even in Arcadia feels like it should be played start to finish at home and at the shows ahead to do everyone justice.
For an older listener, it's a boon to hear the LP treated with such reverence as an art form. Those same ears may conclude that there is a little too much going at times, but how life-affirming it is to hear an outfit swinging for the fences amid rapid fame and, crucially, instilling the belief that their best is still ahead.
