#lyrics from: euclid - sleep token

[melit0n]

EUCLID ANALYSIS.

Told you guys it was coming, didn't I? I apologise that this has taken a bit longer than expected, my mental health hit me like a bullet train, but I do hope it's sufficient.

Part one -> You're already here!

Part two -> Line by line analysis part 1

Part three -> Line by line analysis part 2

Part four -> Musical/intrumental notes

Part five -> The Night in Sleep Token

Part six -> Conclusion

Please note this is a general analysis. Although I do go into theories, both my own and others, this is just general thoughts. Also note when I speak of Vessel, I mean Vessel as a character, not the person, unless I specifically state so.

Tagline: @rilllvri @a-s-levynn @fivewholeminutes @euclidsvessel @tonguetyd @moonchild-in-blue @kkarmatic @branches-in-a-flood

+ Some people were worried about spam liking/reblogging the last time I did one of these big analysis posts, and I want to say please don't worry about that! I get happy when I see the same users pop up liking and reblogging my work, because it means you're interested in this enough to go through the whole thing. Feel completely free to add your own thoughts, correct any errors I've made etc. As per usual, my DMs are completely open to anybody wanting to discuss ST <3

Let's start off with the basics. ‘Euclid’ is the anglicised version of the Greek name Eukleídes (Εὐκλείδης), mainly known via the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, who is seen as the ‘father of geometry’, and most famous for his work on symmetry. Its general definition is something or someone who is renowned and or glorious (A) and the lesser known definition is something that is a copy of the same (B) (taken from Euclid’s ideas on symmetry), which we’ll come back to in a bit.

However, there is another Euclid in history that we’ll be referencing; Euclid of Megara. This Euclid, similar to our mathematician, was an ancient Greek Socratic (having been a pupil of Socrates) philosopher. I’ll be taking part of a text out of his Wikipedia article since his ideas have been explained thoroughly there.

(we'll be coming back to him soon)

First off, this is an incredibly interesting choice of name for a song. Outside of someone's maths and philosophy class, this name doesn't exist to most, so the fact it's been chosen at all is intriguing.

Vessel has shown time and time again he enjoys sometimes elaborate references in his art, an example being chemistry and biology in TPWBYT (most notable would probably be ‘Telomeres’), so, I think it would be easy to say that, whether it be a reference to Euclid the Mathematician or Euclid the philosopher, that said reference is understood and intended by Vessel.

So, let's start with our mathematician, shall we?

What I find interesting about Euclid of Alexandria is that his life and existence outside of his work on geometry is almost completely unknown. There's almost nothing known of him, as a person, other than where he spent half of his career (Alexandria; Egypt, hence his title), where he may have studied (Platonic academy) and a general idea of when he lived (around 300BC). What is known about this insanely famous man who created the foundations of symmetry is incredibly barebones. People take Euclid at face value for his work, just like Vessel (both as an artist, and a character).

Further, we, as listeners, don't have much of an understanding of who Vessel is other than being a mouthpiece of a deity known as Sleep, someone once human now grasping at the threads of humanity and someone sharing some of his struggles in life (both with Sleep and unknown people). Like Euclid, he is barebones, we take him at face value; a vessel. He is both a mouthpiece for Sleep, a mouthpiece for his own emotions (obviously) and a mouthpiece for us. His experiences transcend being just his, due to his anonymity, therefore allowing us to connect and express our own experiences. It's music for the sake of music; expression.

Now, having talked through Euclid as a person, it's time to talk about Euclid and his symmetry. Symmetry in shapes is 'reflections, rotations, translations, and combinations of these basic operations. Under an isometric transformation, a geometric object is said to be symmetric if, after transformation, the object is indistinguishable from the object before the transformation- a copy of the same’. So, of course, this means shapes like squares, rectangles, parallelograms and circles. Circles are a representation of infinity, wholeness, unity and loops. What does Euclid do? Loop itself (starts and ends with B major, which also happens to be the same chord that TNDNBTG starts with), and loops the three albums together, musically and lyrically.

Now, onto Euclid of Megara.

Euclid was born in Megara, Athens and was a follower of Socrates (sneaking into Athens to hear him speak, and he was also present during his death). He is most known for his philosophy that good is the knowledge of simply being and that the opposite of good does not exist, aka evil. The Good is described to be a perfect, eternal, and changeless Form, existing outside space and time. A form of Heaven without a God.

This idea could be linked lore-wise with Sleep Token; Sleep could, in a way, be The Good literally. Bliss. Further, with the idea that there is no actual opposite of good, then how can anything be bad? How can Sleep, as a deity, have bad intentions if there is no actual evil?

So far, with these two notable figures in mind, we can perceive Euclid as one of two ways (and there are more ways to come). Euclid can be seen as quite literally being a form of symmetry; a parallel that Vessel lays his life on because it brings all of the produced albums, all of his stories, together. Or, we can think of Euclid as Vessel. This brings me to @euclidsvessel's post on their theory on Euclid; what if Euclid was Vessel’s name before he became a vessel?

The theory that Euclid could be Vessel’s old name is not only extremely insightful, but very plausible as well. They explained their points very well in their original post, and I don't want to repeat what they’ve already said, so I do implore you to go read that! It's not detrimental to needing to understand this post, but I highly recommend it. Despite this, I am here to both support their argument and bring my own comparison. Take a look at the cover art for Euclid:

Let me repeat the lesser-known definition of Euclid; a copy of the same. A clone. A replacement. Held in the right hand is the decapitated head of Vessel's old (2nd gen.) mask. Specifically, the one that covers his mouth; the version that relinquishes the most amount of humanity. The album art is a representation of change portrayed in a symbolically gory way. Beheading, depending on the era you’re working from, symbolises both vengeance as well as a form of purification. By cutting off the head, you remove any ‘unholy’ thoughts. It's also among one of the most horrific and humiliating ways of killing someone (since it was typically done publicly, and sometimes the heads were placed on spikes of battlements as a warning).

Furthermore, there's a theory that's popped up a couple of times, lore-wise, that Vessel is not the first person to be turned into a vessel of Sleep, and he certainly won't be the last. So, considering the literal album art illustrates a replacement of Vessel, I’d say that theory is pretty much confirmed. In conclusion, the album art can either be interpreted as how Vessel will eventually be discarded and replaced by another vessel, or how Vessel himself will change, for better or for worse; clawing out of his own skin to become “someone new”.

So, to compare the idea of Euclid being Vessel’s old name, and to create the third perception of what or rather, who, Euclid is, what if Euclid will be the eventual replacement for Vessel?

[secret-smut-sideblog]

Chokehold

Ascended Astarion x F! Tav

18+ angst, regret, longing, tenderness, comfort, complicated feelings, self doubt/hatred, dubcon, rawness, needy astarion, fingering (f!), dry humping, pants cumming (m!)

Escaping him again, Tav finds solace and safety in an old friend in Lower City. If only it was that easy to escape the Ascendant's desire...

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

-

"Oh Gods," She moaned.

Eyes opening, aching from the previous night.

She winced, the tight puncture marks on her neck pulling.

"Oh Gods..." She buried her face into the pillow and let out a frustrated scream.

It hadn't been a dream. She was back in it. The walls of the Elfsong a cruel reminder.

She gave herself a moment to indulge the tempest, beating her fist into the mattress.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Took a few shaky breaths.

But now she must think.

Too many lines of thought assaulted her.

Why did he drink from her with such need? He was free of the hunger. Why did it seem like he was starving?

Why did he leave her to stay here? He could have taken her away. Compelled her, even. Why had he agreed to go?

Why did he... transform like that? They had shared a bed many times since his Ascension and he had always remained the same. In control. What was that?

She shook her pounding head as the one question, the real question, rose to the top.

Why didn't he kill her?

She had betrayed him to the utmost degree. Depriving him of his consort. Of her.

Wondered if she had gone through with the change, would he have more control over her?

Surely.

Would he be less obsessive if she was his spawn? His vampiric bride?

Possibly.

Would he scoff at her escape and pull her back to him with ease?

Most definitely.

He always needed control now, and she had given him as little as she could get away with. She could see it gnaw away at him over time. At his cruelest, he would punish her for weeks on end, trying to break her. Submit. But she would never fold.

Her upbringing had warded her spirit to a great deal of pain. She could endure indefinitely, if needed.

She unconsciously traced the thin scars circling her wrist. On rainy days, she could still feel the bite of wire.

Pulling her lower lip in thought.

She could circle the drain of her endless dilemma later. She needed a plan.

Closing her eyes.

Okay.

She needed to get out of the Elfsong, preferably unseen. And she needed help.

Though she was loathe to pull another of her companions into this, her greatest strength would always be those bonds. His endless pursuit to isolate her had proven that tenfold.

Gods below, if everyone wasn't strewn across Faerun. She needed someone in Baldurs Gate.

If Wyll wasn't with Karlach in Avernus he would be the perfect option. The son of the Duke, in his own castle. His protection would be invaluable.

Think, Tav.

Her eyes opened.

Wait.

Rushing to the window. Yes, she could just make out the head of the statue.

Suddenly buzzing with adrenaline, she rang for the dumb waiter.

"Ugh, what?"

"It's Tav, tell Alan I'm calling in that favor he offered."

Gripping the cracks of brick in fingertips, threading between the vines holding, she cursed herself. Scaling up the side of the Elfsong in grunts of effort.

Stupid, stupid.

Her anger feeding her strength.

Thank the Gods she had been training herself with Shadowheart or she would be broken on the cobblestones.

She leapt up and got a hold on the lip of the roof. Legs dangling out then pulling in, arcing out and twisting up. Catching her heel on the gutter and rolling with gasping breaths on the morning warmed shingles.

Blinking away the endless sky.

What had Karlach said when she watched her scale an oak tree?

"Gods, soldier. If you were anymore of a daredevil I would've hunted you in Avernus."

Tav laughed quietly to herself, patting her bicep twice. Gotta make her girl proud.

She rose to knees, orienting herself. The high wind whipping her hair as she circled with her eyes.

Yes, she could just see the edge of the roof. It would have to do.

"Please let this work." She whispered to herself. Pulling the scroll of Dimension Door from her waistband.

Standing she felt a shingle wiggle under her foot then slip away. Catching herself she gave it a withering look.

Setting her sights, she took a deep breath.

Shouting the incantation, she felt a great pull from behind her spine, and the air broke around her with a crack.

Only doing this with Gale bracing her in the past, she buckled forward when her body crashed back into the world.

Landing with a loud scrambling thud on the roof of the Elerrathin Manor.

"Mom, there's someone on the house!"

Clean hair damp from her bath and swaddled in fresh clothes, Tav sat curled into a plush corner, taking in Jaheira's surprisingly cozy office. Her bloodstained nightgown being tended to, though she insisted there was no need.

The druid worked quietly at her desk. Tav had stepped in, and she had gestured to her kindly to make herself comfortable. "I'll be just a moment."

"No rush." Tav pulled her legs tucked under her. She felt safe here, no easy feat. Beyond the Selune outpost, she could think of very few places where that was possible.

"There. I'll send this with a raven to our Shadowheart." She folded the letter with sure fingers, handing it to a messenger rat that scampered away in determination.

Tav let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I've been worrying myself sick about leaving her in the dark."

Jaheira turned in her chair, giving Tav her full attention.

"Why are you back, cub?"

The underlying question hanging in the air.

Why did you willingly walk into the vipers den?

She bowed her head in shame. Picking at the edge of her leggings.

"Hubris? Hope?" Shook her head. "Definitely stupidity."

"A need for closure is not stupidity." Jaheira sighed knowingly. "The way you could go about it on the other hand..."

Tav laughed, tired and embarrassed, but safe.

"Gods, I don't know. I dont think people like us get closure. It was a terrible idea, Shadowheart said so herself. I just-" She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "I don't want to live in fear. I have lived so much of my life under a knife, I want some breathing room for once."

Jaheira nodded. "You deserve peace. And I will do everything in my power to assist in that. I have already sent word to The Guild, The Harper's, and pulled some strings with the Duke. You will be protected from all sides. You can walk through our city freely."

She organized some papers on her desk and stood, offering out a hand. "And, if you'll allow me, I can give you the best protection I can offer. I will ward you from his harm." Winked, hitching her head over to an open letter on the desk, spinning with blue magic. "A little gift from our friend Gale. I sent for him as soon as Rion pulled you off of our roof."

Tav blinked, tears forming. "This is... so much more than I could ever hope for." A hitching sob caught in her throat. "Thank you."

She held her hand out and pressed her palm into hers.

Jaheira spoke, eyes alight, the air swirling with great pulsing light.

Tav could feel the magic infuse into her, unmistakably Gale's. A warm caress washing over, the smell of old books. A brief phantom hand stroking her cheek.

She smiled, the ends of her hair lifting. The last of the magic pulling in circles into her.

Hello, dear. Welcome back.

"Children, there will be more than enough time to bother her in the morning. Let our guest get some rest."

Little legs running circles around her, Tav smiled warmly. "Ah, I don't mind."

"Don't encourage them." Jaheira laughed, looking fondly but sternly at Fig. "Bed now, little guard."

"Aw, alright. But I'm sleeping outside the door!"

"You most certainly are not."

Tav laughed. "I don't know, I'd be a fool to turn down more protection."

Jaheira pressed her palm on Fig's head, leading her away. "And yet, little guardians are in need of their rest. Off with you now. You too, Jhessem."

The small girl that had been peeking behind the corner squeaked and retreated into her bedroom.

"You certainly have your hands full." Tav mused as the hallway emptied. "Are you sure I'm not going to be a burden?"

"Never." Jaheira reached out and squeezed her hand. Hers warm and calloused. "Now you get some rest too." Spoken in that same stern tone she had used with her children, a sparkle of playfulness in her eyes.

"Ah, okay. You've twisted my arm." Tav mock sighed. Giving her hand one grateful weighted squeeze before releasing.

"Enjoy some safety, you've earned it." Jaheira hushed as she turned away.

Tav closed the door to the spare bedroom behind her. Barely contained tears rolling to the surface.

She curled into a ball on the floor. Letting it wash over her. Hitching sobs wrenching her throat. The tidal wave finally having its way.

Gods, she was so filled with hope it stung her heart. The feelings of grief, exhaustion, wonder, protection, all threading together. A rope that had been tied to her throat now wound tight around her fist.

Even after all of this time, they rallied around her. Her heart bursting with their strength. She was indebted to them all.

-

He crouched on the lip of her new hideaway. There you are, my treasure.

The sweet heady call of her blood, still pulsing through him, leading him here.

One of his many new gifts, he could sense her as long as she coursed through him. Her blood had always bewitched him. Even if hadn't been searching for her, he mused that the river of her would have sung him back regardless.

Eyes scanning the outside of the ledge for traps he was shocked to find the window unlatched.

Tav was not stupid, if anything she was infuriatingly clever. Outfoxing him twice now the proof of that. He was loathe to admit that the only reason he had found her so quickly was the bloodcall.

He slipped inside, quiet as death. Moved on silence to her bedside.

She was curled on her side, breathing softly. Her sweet face relaxed, pouted lips slightly open. Those doe eyes moving back and forth under her lids. Dreaming.

A shot of possession cracked through him. He needed her back.

He reached forward and tried to scoop under her legs and back but felt a bite of magic, pain arcing across his skull. His hands compelled to release.

A familiar voice: You may not have her.

Fucking Gale.

He snarled in frustration. Why do they all insist on interfering in his affairs. This was his consort, his should-be bride. His.

She settled back down into the sheets but leaned into him as he pulled away. Sighing in her sleep.

"Astarion,"

He almost answered, kneeling down. His face inches from hers. Fingers caressing her cheek, her neck. Watching her face, rapturous.

Her eyebrows pulled together in pleasure, lips parting. A sweet little breath leaving her.

He hummed low in his throat, a fierce elation rocking through him.

It had been years since she had reacted to his touch like this. All soft pleading, calling him to her. He could not deny her.

He climbed carefully onto the bed, distributing his weight evenly. Straddled over her, hand still raking feather light desire across her skin.

"Astarion," She moaned quietly. Arching up to meet his touch.

"Yes, my darling," He cooed to her sleeping words. Pulling the blanket away slowly, leaning down and kissing her collarbone. Hand cupping her breast with a low moan. Slotting between her legs.

She sighed, words hushed and barely formed, but he could make it out. "I missed you."

A lightning strike of need and grief struck him.

She had too much power over him, that was the problem. He had every intention of making her happy in the beginning. Loathefully desperate for her to stay, he had offered her everything. Finery, food, any lavish thing she set her sights on. And his linchpin, immortality. To make her his vampiric bride.

But she only smiled at him. Her bewitched fingers running along his arm. "I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just got my life back, Starlight. Let me have a little living before I decide."

Oh, how he had pushed, prodded, enticed. Eventually demanded, berated, bled. He tried to break her, but she had never given in. The panicked screaming at the lack of control in his head aside, he respected her for it. He would have ruined her.

Well, ruined her more.

He softly circled his thumb over her wrist. The scars he had left there sneering at him.

Look what you did. You deserve this.

His old voice in his head again.

You aren't worthy of her.

He clenched down his jaw.

You're disgusting. Treating her like that.

He shook his head. He did what he felt he needed to do. Right?

Her hand reaching for his face broke his hateful trance.

He leaned down into her searching fingers. His eyes closing in quiet bliss when he met her touch.

Her soft fingers stroking his face was a spellbinding balm. He pushed his face further into her, sighing.

Going without tenderness from her for so long, he felt drunk. His whole body swirling with heady pleasure.

He leaned down, eyes lidded heavy with lust. Gently pulling her nightgown down along the collar. Leaving heated kisses along her clavicle.

She moaned, a high intoxicating call.

Oh Gods, he needed her.

He snaked his hand under the covers, her blanket warmed thighs a sacred domain. Still unbearably soft, lamb's ear made flesh.

His eyes hitched back as he met her center. Fingers trailing over her curls to slide back into his home. A velvet wetness meeting him, coating his fingertips.

He leaned his head down into her chest, already overcome. Rutting his hard cock into her hip in slow rapturous thrusts.

He slowly pushed his two fingers in, her body arching up. Her small whimper wrapping around his head in dizzy circles.

Her sleeping form capable of no scrutiny he felt no need to perform. His walls falling.

"Tav," He moaned, pumping his fingers into her endless warmth. Thumb pushing devotion in circles against her clit.

Gods she was too beautiful, it made his chest ache to look at her when she was like this.

Softly mewling, her labored breath a heady miasma pulling him down.

He leaned down to her neck, fangs grazing along her pulse point. Felt a warning crackle of magic.

Gods damn it.

If he didn't have her blood in him, he felt empty. He needed that connection to her.

He relented, leaving a needful kiss along the two pinprick scars he had pushed into her long ago. Feeling a snarl of pride for those, at least. Anyone can look upon her and see this mark of him imprinted in her body.

His fingers curled up in that way he remembered she liked, got the immediate reward of her hips squirming. A short gasp that moved into a pleading moan.

His eyes glazed over, mouth hanging open against her chest. Precum leaking into his trousers. His head nothing but circling waves of desire.

Gods he felt like an animal on all fours, controlled by its heat.

Only she could make him come undone like this.

Only she could pull this from him.

Please stay asleep a little longer. He thought to her, though he knew they no longer shared a tadpole.

I need you. I need you to want me again.

His desire too great for anymore subtle movements, he arced his hips down and ground his erection into the mattress. Whimpering in the back of his throat.

He pulsed his fingers in as controlled a ministration as he could manage, feeling his end approaching hot on his heels.

He leaned up into her ear, watching the rhythmic arches of her body in rapturous greed.

"Come for me, darling." He breathed into her, nipping at her lobe.

She shuddered under him, head falling back. Her neck opening up to him, a flower unfurling in the sun. Her cunt gripped his fingers in vicious pulses, pulling him further into her. That hauntingly beautiful face straining in release.

He gasped in quick choppy breaths, biting back a moan as his pelvis contracted, a deep shudder pulling through him, spurting long pulses inside his finery. Eyes rolling into the back of his skull, gripping into the sheets next to her head. His newly beating heart thumping against the back of his chest.

She murmured something softly and turned on her side, cradling his head into her chest. Hooking her legs around his in an intimate tangle.

Part of his head screamed at him to pull away, but he was helplessly pulled down. Eyes closing with shameful tears threatening.

How long had it been since she had held him?

He buried his face in her. Breathing her in like the last gulp of air before a tide pull.

He knew he couldn't stay, if she awoke the spell would be broken. She would turn him away, that spear of contempt in her eyes. Or worse, the flat deadness that overtook her when he pushed too far, an opaque distant glaze over her doe eyes.

You've really broken her, haven't you? Just like Cazador broke us.

"Shut up." He hissed under his breath.

He carefully maneuvered out of her embrace with an annoyed huff. He was being ridiculous. There was a way to break this spell and he would find it.

Then she would be his again. Finally. Take her back to the place where she belonged.

He allowed himself one last look at her, bristling at himself at the brief spike of longing he felt, before he pulled up into the night air. Twisting into the moonlight, back to the Crimson Castle.

He had research to do.

~

Part 6

[sfsolstice]

the whites of your eyes turn black in the lowlight in turning divine we tangle endlessly

[escxelle]

i'm convinced sleep token are stem girlies because the amount of physics, maths and chemistry in their lyrics hmmm. lemme list all the references below the cut <3 (just as an fyi: this is a joke and i'm not being serious!! i'm just pointing out all the science references in their songs, dw)

alright, bit of a stretch to start but: "sulfur on your breath, granite in my chest." - granite from take me back to eden (2023). sulfur obviously being an element and granite is a rock (i'm not a chem student, i do astrophysics sorry idk anything else skdjsjd)

i'm being really picky but like "these days i'm a circuit board, integrated hardware you cannot afford." - aqua regia from take me back to eden (2023). vessel is an engineering girlie!! /j also i could point out the latin title is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid sooo

still in aqua regia, we have "sugar on the blood cells, carbon on the brain." mhm, speak stem girlie!

aqua regia is full of stem textbooks: "oxytocin running in the ether. silicon ballrooms. subatomic interactions if it's all good. gold rush, acid flux. saturate me, i can't get enough. cold love, hot blood." so the debrief: oxytocin is a hormone. ether are a class of compounds. the rest i think is self-explanatory, as they're elements and cute little stem terms oxox

i love stretching. "your viscera welcome me in." - vore from take me back to eden (2023). viscera are the large organs inside the body, including the heart, stomach, lungs, and intestines. biology girlies!! /j

more stretching <3 "who encrypted your dark gospel in body language? synapses snap back in blissful anguish." - ascensionism from take me back to eden (2023). encryption is the process of encoding information!! a computer science girlie!! then synapses are the places where neurons connect and communicate with each other <3

"half algorithm, half deity. glitches in the code or gaps in a strange dream." who ate a programming textbook?! /j

"digital demons make the night feel heavenly." side note but i think we should start calling trolls digital demons.

"lipstick, chemtrails, red flags, pink nails." has someone maybe studied chemtrails in their chemistry classes hmmm? /j

as i'm an astrophysics student i have to mention this: "the shifting states you follow me through." - the apparition from take me back to eden (2023). states, huh? liquid turning into a solid time is it? /j

"i feel my shadown dissolving." - rain from take me back to eden (2023). a metaphor or a chemistry textbook? /j

"it's that chemical cut that i can get down with." have many chemical cuts, huh?? /j

i'm an astrophysics girlie (gn) so i have to include this one: "a dangerous disposition somehow refracted in light, reflected in sound."

"i dream in phosphorescence." - take me back to eden from take me back to eden (2023). phosphorescence is a type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. i mean, come on! the rest lyric? really?

"sink porcelain stained, choking up brain matter and make-up. just two days since the mainframe went down and i'm still messed up." biology and software engineering much? /j

"if my fate is a bad collision." - euclid from take me back to eden (2023). collision? huh are you a particle, hm? also euclid was a greek mathematician ! currently in my special relativity notes i have written "flat euclidean space"! riddle me that, sleep token. /j

"just orbiting the vacuum i am." - atlantic from this place will become your tomb (2021). yes, orbiting like the sun and moon and planets, right?? /j

"push down into membranes and layers, creating a slow dissection." - like that from this place will become your tomb (2021). yeah we get it, you're a biology student /j

"you lie an inch apart on your own continuum." - the love you want from this place will become your tomb (2021). continuum, huh?

"and though echoing futures are the buckling sutures." - fall for me from this place will become your tomb (2021). i bet you've seen many sutures huh dr. vessel! /j

right prepare for a lot of references here folks. "she's not acid nor alkaline." - alkaline from this place will become your tomb (2021). do i really have to explain the actions of this chem girlie? /j

"ooh, let's talk about chemistry 'cause i'm dying to melt through to the heart of her molecules 'til the particles part like holy water. if anything, she's an undiscovered element." i'm sure you'd love to infodump about your favourite subject! /j

"'cause i am broken into fractions." - distraction from this place will become your tomb (2021). i bet you deal with fractions all the time, you maths nerd!! /j

"and we go beyond the farthest reaches where the light bends and wraps beneath us and i know as you collapse into me." - telomeres from this place will become your tomb (2021). light bending? how very relativity of you. also telomeres are structures made from DNA sequences and proteins found at the ends of chromosomes.

"and i choke myself on sacred vapour." - high water from this place will become your tomb (2021). vapour because it's changed state, right? /j

"keep up on the charm offensive anymore." - missing limbs from this place will become your tomb (2021). i'm doing particle physics right now so i know exactly what a charm quark is! also limbs??? hello again dr. vessel /j

"'cause i look for scarlet and you look for ultraviolet." - higher from sundowning (2019). using ultraviolet filters for your astrophotography are you?? /j

"let the impulse to love and the instinct to kill entangle to one." - say that you will from sundowning (2019). entangle? entanglement? quantum entanglement? i'm connecting the dots.

"i want to roll the numbers. i want to feel my stars align again even if the earth breaks like burnt skin." - blood sport from sundowning (2019). an astrophysics fr /j

"and somewhere, somewhere the atoms stopped fusing." more stem!

"and out there, stuck in a quantum pattern, tangled with what i never said." this is something a theoretical physicist would say is all i'm saying. /j

now you have to listen to sleep token to hear these bangers >:)

[houseofache]

(this started as me appreciating tndnbtg and then became an analysis on the refrain that comes up in both tndnbtg and euclid because of course it did)

while i'm here, could we also talk about how sonically beautiful the night does not belong to god is? i've been re-listening to all of sleep token's music this past week and i am still as enchanted with tndnbtg as i was when i first heard it.

the song creates an entire sonic landscape. the beginning electric piano builds and bleeds to create the atmosphere of the song, sounding like the feeling of looking over a cliff into the inky blackness of the night sky and seeing the first few stars start to peek through. it's the moment of breathtaking wonder at the sublime, the realization that you are so small and seemingly insignificant underneath the largeness of the night sky.

the piano's repetition continues to build, marked by the addition of the bass notes to continue laying out the scenery. the high notes twinkle as if beckoning you further into the night while the low notes, sure and constant, envelop you in the certainty of the dark. it's almost foreboding in some ways with how hypnotic it sounds, like it is the sweet promises from Sleep whispered to you directly.

all of this is before vessel's voice comes over the gorgeous instrumental. his voice isn't declarative, and neither are the lyrics he sings; he's not screaming this into the blackness of space, it's almost a whisper, a caress, an invitation to the listener to put down their defences as "the night comes down like heaven." note the parallelism to euclid here with euclid taking this one step further to say "if your wings won't find you heaven, i will bring it down like an ancient bygone," an interesting turn on the passiveness of the former. in euclid, vessel speaks with absolute certainty, he will bring heaven crashing down for you, but in tndnbtg, he's only just begun his entanglement with Sleep. he hasn't yet gone on the "hero's journey" to learn how to take on an active role in his life yet.

this culminates in the refrain that grounds the whole trilogy together: "the whites of your eyes turn black in the low light. in turning divine, we tangle endlessly like lovers entwined. i know for the last time, you will not be mine. so give me the night, the night, the night."

i think it's fascinating to note that this refrain is sung in acapella for tndnbtg as if it's still a thought that vessel is having to get comfortable with. as if he needs to take as much time to breathe in between phrases, to ground himself in the reality and inevitability of this impending loss.

however in euclid, it's sung over the same piano riff that starts tndnbtg— albeit pitched up a few semitones to fit euclid's key. as if vessel were remembering the same moment from the former track and revisiting his memories. memories now changed and tinged with what he knows better. in euclid, he finds what he has always been looking for in the trilogy— transformation and the radical certainty that it brings even in the midst of grand uncertainty.

it is no coincidence that the refrain that begins the trilogy as a passive, quiet whisper on an album engulfed in darkness from the title to its cover art to the very atmosphere that it creates—sounding as if the sun had just receded over the horizon as the night begins to swallow all that we know— ends the trilogy in a higher, soaring key, which takes the familiar piano riff of tndnbtg and makes it sound as if we were looking back out over that cliff, breathless and sat in quiet contemplation, having made it just in time to watch the sunrise.

[ohbaby-here-we-go-again]

Discovered a big part of why I like sleep token comes down to ‘echos,’ repetition, and layering.

Hear me out guys !

Ok so I’m probably going to be bad at articulating this, but I feel like a big part of sleep token’s sound comes down to them playing with the concept of echos and the use of repetition in music.

Some of it is pretty bog standard, like as a general rule you’re going to have things that repeat in songs (chord progressions, choruses, melody etc) because that is their nature. But there are other things where I feel the repetition is a deliberate choice or deliberately emphasised (I’m going to dot point, because my brain is so full and idk how else to structure this)

- when you listen to a lot of the piano vessel composes, it typically contains a lot of repeating phrases, usually 2-4 notes that he either repeats exactly or progressively shifts up or down in pitch

- similarly (and probably even more so) the digital sounds, included to help build the layering within songs, are very repetitive in nature. They even sometimes have an echo-y distortion to them

- on that note, the layering is such an important part of sleep token’s sound. They build up phrases steadily, and while theses aren’t technically canons, to me they have a similar feeling when you hear everything together

- also because of the repetition of shorter melody phrases, and the complementary repeating sounds cushioning them, I feel like you really get that atmospheric vibration/hover that you sense when you hear real echos irl which is neat (this is also aided by that atmospheric droning sound they tend to make use of)

- what’s also cool is ii has literally said when writing the drum components, he listens to what else is going on in the song (digital parts, guitar, piano, vocals) and mimics certain rhythms present so everything fits together cohesively

- vessel has like a set of themes and words he uses throughout his songs (post I did on that here tho I do want to do an updated one at some point) so when you’re listening to ST you do get a lot of déjà vu (not in a bad way) from lyrics

- this echoing in lyrics was taken even further in the last album with Euclid

- another neat thing is that while ST obviously uses a lot of repetition they cut things up into segment, either by stripping back the layered sound, changing the pacing, implementing a new melody segment, seemingly switching up genres etc. but it’s all interspersed in such a way that key element resurface again later

- they’re also really good at knowing when to do this too, like just when the repetition of a segment might start to lose listener’s interest they change it to something different but still at least a little adjacent

-edit: also the layering of vessel’s vocals and the incorporation of the espera for live performances. And vessel repeating certain key phrases in songs

idk I’m kinda rambling at this point but yea, the way the music sounds to me feels a lot like rocking back and forth ya know, or like listening to an echo or waves, it’s soothing in alot of ways - even the heavier/more intense songs (also I noticed you can sometimes see vessel rocking while he preforms when he doesnt have the zoomies)

And before anyone goes “ren that’s just song structure,” “ren most songs have a beat you can move too” I know ! and i know I’m articulating this badly. But I’ve been listening to ST’s whole discography on repeat minimum 8 hours a day for at least two week (this is not an exaggeration) and I don’t know how to make you understand, other then to make you listen to them for 8 hours min a day for two week while I gesture wildly and shout “rocking back and forth ! echoes ! Push and pull of waves !”….

[murderofcrow]

You know what, I'm sure not many will read it anyways, so I might as well post it lol. I'm not a skilled writer and English is not my native language but this is the little story I wrote about my bracelet dream. So if you happen to read it please don't judge my grammar too much. 😅

- - - - - - - - -

Another restless night. Another night of wishing sleep would come easy but it never did. A loud sigh escaped my lips and I stood up in defeat. Contemplating what I should do, I sat down in my chair and turned on the desk light. I rummaged through one of the drawers and took out a small container with little colourful beads. Making little bracelets calms me down, even if I have to disassemble them later again, because I have nobody to share them with. It's nights like this, where the loneliness is really glaring.

I picked up my phone and turned on some music as background noise. The melody of Euclid started playing quietly and I smiled at the irony that shuffle had picked a song with the lyrics "the night belongs to you" while I had another sleepless night.

I looked at the colourful beads and thought how funny it would look if Vessel wore one of these and with that thought I fumbled through the beads with the letters and formed the sentence "You are so loved."

A sentence that has become important to me and so many others. A sentence so many needed and deserved to hear.

As the song ended I looked at my creation and jokingly said "Hey Sleep, would you take this little token and grant me one peaceful sleep tonight?"

As the words escaped my lips, I heard a quiet meow. Thinking I must've woken up my cat with this late night crafting session, I looked around expecting to see a grey striped cat in the doorway to my room but instead there was a black cat with strangely glowing eyes. Not the usual reflective cat eyes I was used to, that's for sure. The cat had something eerie about it but not necessarily in a threatening way.

"How did you get in?" I said curiously, standing up from the chair.

The cat meowed again and looked expectedly at me and then to the dark hallway. "Do you want me to follow you?"

The cat looked pleased and disappeared in the darkness. I scrambled to follow. I stepped out of the doorway and strangely enough I wasn't in the familiar surroundings of my hallway, but found myself in a dim entrance way of what looked like a big old church.

There was a quiet sad melody bouncing off the walls.

This must be a dream, I thought. But the cold stone floor felt strangely real under my bare feet.

The cat was waiting a few steps ahead looking expectedly back at me. I took a step forward and then another one. Yeah that was a church, no doubt. As my eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, I started to take in my surroundings. The stained glass, the benches and the altar on the platform at the front. No... there was no altar. In it's place stood a big piano that was illuminated by three candles. The candles were the only direct light source, except the bright moonlight shining through the stained glass.

There was a cloaked figure sitting in front of the piano. That must be where the sad melody came from.

The closer I got, the more I could make out. The figure was shaking. Were they crying?

The cat took a last glance making sure I was following and ran up to the cloaked figure and leapt onto the piano. The melody stopped and a hand reached out to stroke the cats dark fur.

Suddenly the cat revealed two extra sets of eyes and looked in my direction.

Caught off guard at this sight I stumbled and bumped into one of the benches. "What the hell?" It escaped me.

Alarmed by the ruckus, the cloaked figure jumped out of their seat and looked in my direction.

"Vessel?" I said, surprised to see the man whose voice I had just heard minutes ago through my phone speaker. No doubt the cloaked figure with the white mask hiding most of his face was Vessel.

He looked around between me and the cat and even though I couldn't see his face, I know he looked utterly confused too. He shot me one last look before his eyes settled on the cat and he asked "Is this your doing?"

The cat looked very pleased with itself and said in a strangely sounding voice "I thought you'd appreciate this offering more than me." The cat looked approvingly in my direction as I looked back, still confused. Offering? What offering? And then I remembered how I jokingly offered the colourful bracelet for a good night's sleep.

I looked down at my right hand that has been curled into a fist the whole time. And surely enough, as I opened it, there was the little bracelet I had made. Did I take it with me? I couldn't remember. Suddenly everything felt like a blur.

I looked up from my palm and looked at the cat. It nodded approvingly again.

As Vessel looked on in confusion I took some steps in his direction before I came to a halt in front of the steps of the platform he was standing on.

After a glance at the cat and something that felt like some careful consideration, Vessel made his way down the stairs and stopped on the last one infront of me.

He looked unsure, his lips pursed.

I carefully took his hands and placed the small bracelet into his palms. I paused a second. His hands were big and felt a bit rough to the touch. And yet they felt so warm and comforting. I shot him a little smile and gave his hands a soft little squeeze before I let go and took a step back.

Suddenly overwhelmed by emotion I bit on my lip trying to hold back those pesky tears that were creeping their way into my eyes.

Vessel looked at me and then at the little offering I had placed in his hands. He brought it closer to his mask to inspect it. Seemingly not able to decipher the text on the beads he went back the stairs and held the little bracelet closer to one of the candles. After a little moment of silence he looked up and I could see he was smiling. A little, barely visible but genuine smile. He quietly said "Thank you." And gestured for me to take a seat on one of the benches.

I sat down and suddenly felt overcome with tiredness.

Vessel had sat down in front of the piano again and started playing a melody. A sad one again but this one had an optimistic tone to it. Was it Euclid? My lids became heavy. I took a last glance at the scenery before my eyes. A big piano in a dim lit church. A cat curled up on top of it looking very pleased. A cloaked figure playing the piano and a colourful plastic bracelet decorating his wrist. What a silly sight I thought with a smile before I drifted away.

I woke up bent over my desk. My back made an ungodly sound as I stretched and let out a loud yawn. I can't believe I fell asleep like that. Despite my aching back, I felt strangely rested. I can't remember the last time I'd ever slept this good. I thought back at the strange dream I had about the cat, the church and Vessel. Strange I could even remember it, that rarely happens.

I looked around my messy desk. Where did I put it?

I looked under every single paper tower adorning my desk, under the scattered pens and pencils. It wasn't there. Did it fall down? I looked under my desk. The colourful little bracelet was nowhere to be found. Had I disassembled the bracelet again before I fell asleep and couldn't remember?

Mildly frustrated I looked down at my hands as if I could suddenly make it appear out of willpower and... there it was. Not in my hands but on my wrist. At the exact same place I've last seen it on the cloaked figure at the piano.

I carefully took it off and inspected it closely, just like Vessel had in my dream. It looked normal, like it should, with the exception of some dark specks that looked like smudged paint. On closer inspection I saw some similar dark smudges on my hands. Could it have been... but that's...

A meow made me jump mid thought. But instead of a strange black cat with six glowing eyes, there was my grey striped one looking curiously at me. I put the bracelet back on my wrist and picked up my cat. I smiled and whispered "Thank you, Vessel. You are so loved."

My cat meowed loudly and I laughed "Yes, you too are so loved."

[saatmans]

Sleep Token gave me so much motivation and inspiration, among other good things that I decided to face my trauma: the university entrance exam.

I spent 2019 studying to get into the most important public university in my state, I did it. The problem was that I live terribly far from the university and came back very late at night. As a woman and person with a disability, I was very vulnerable and for my safety I had to leave the course.

And on top of all this came the pandemic. I was broken into thousands of little pieces, it was very difficult. And I spent these years dealing with all the pain of seeing a dream that almost happened disappear for things beyond my control.

But then, I met four little guys and three girls and a fandom that filled me with love. Sleep Token's songs brought me peace and comfort. And lately courage. Following this entire tour and knowing that all of this was the result of absolute planning and that it is part of a very old dream that is becoming reality woke me up to my own dreams

It is also a very internal desire to return the good that Sleep Token brought to my life. Do something for myself even though it is extremely difficult to look at the entire past, but I think of Euclid, as the lyrics sing about moving forward and my time has come.

It's funny, because registrations opened yesterday, May 27th, the day of the last show. The tests will take place on the 3rd and 10th of November, close to the second part of the tour in Europe. For me this is a sign. I really don't know which course I will try, but the idea I have is to study and get a good grade without pressure.

I want to thank Sleep Token from the bottom of my heart again for everything. I wish the Espera boys and girls and the entire team a rest and an energized return. And we will be here ready for everything that comes from them and we will be achieving our dreams.

[daddyhausen]

• song lyrics prompts •

.*•…………………..•⊹•…………………..•*.

shut your mouth before i fuck it — rats | motionless in white

i’ve been waiting for you — come undone | bad omens

addicted to a lonely kind of love — teardrops | bring me the horizon

somewhere in the past, something was between, you and i, my dear — the apparition | sleep token

i don’t know what hurts the most, holding on or letting go | 1x1 | bring me the horizon + nova twins

we said this was the last time, over and over again — synthetic love | motionless in white

you were more than just somebody i was destined to meet — granite | sleep token

i’m sorry i can’t see that you truely love me — bulls in the bronx | pierce the veil

you’re not the person i knew back then — mr. highway’s thinking about the end | a day to remember

i want you to show me what a bitch you can be — hatefuck | motionless in white

what if i can’t forget you? — caraphernelia | pierce the veil

even if it hurts me, even if i can’t sleep — chokehold | sleep token

you’ve got my body flesh and bone — the summoning | sleep token

my love, did i mistake you for a sign from god? — the summoning | sleep token

you have become the voice in my head — vore | sleep toke

won’t you come dance in the dark with me — acesntionism | sleep token

i cannot fix your wounds this time — are you really okay? — sleep token

for so long, i’ve waited — rain | sleep token

will you cleanse me with pleasure? — rain sleep token

missed calls, answer phones from people i just don’t trust — take me back to eden | sleep token

call me when you have the time, i just need to leave this part of me behind — euclid | sleep token

i miss the way you say my name — the death of piece of mind | bad omens

heaven knows i ain’t getting over you — just pretend | bad omens

stay with me, as we cross the empty skies — rosemary | deftones

take me one more time — sextape | deftones

it’s too bad you’re married to me — mascara | deftones

i’m hypnotised by your name — romantic dreams | deftones

but i’m tired of proving this love — mx | deftones

i wanna fuck you till you scream and cry — for your love | måneskin

i’ll make your body a habit — on my mind | måneskin

i want to taste you better — give | sleep token

[melit0n]

Part three to the Sleep Token FX post. Some of these I've picked up on my own, and others have been pointed out to me by @reveries-of-my-mind and @moonchild-in-blue through their reblogs of my original post about Vore. A lot of these FX bits are more obvious, so I decided to just put TMBTE in one post.

Part three includes: Take Me Back To Eden

Part One -> One, Two, Jaws and The Way That You Were

Part Two -> Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb

+ If I've missed something, feel to add your own thoughts!

Note- some of these are FX, others are sound mixing and music bits I wanted to mention. Any song you don't see mentioned are songs that I couldn't find anything to pull out of them. Plus, reminder; these are my interpretations, I'm sorry if you can't hear what I hear, or you think something different.

Chokehold

- Lots and lots of digital, glitchy FX which sets the mood for the album. This is also repeated throughout all the songs in the album, which works with their algorithm-esc, robotic theme (both lyrically and musically) in their songs for this one.

The Summoning

- Unfortunately, everyone's favourite jazz-metal amalgamation doesn't have any other SFX notes other than carrying on Chokehold's glitchy FX motifs.

Aqua Regia

- Jazz café ambience shown throughout the song, also, every single instrument other than the main paino is echoed and or muffled.

+ Fun fact! Aqua Regia is Latin for Royal Water. It's a concentrated solution of Hydrochloric and nitric acids, and is one of the only acids that can dissolve Gold; it's used in the jewelry trade to test the purity of Gold. Not a clue what Vessel is trying to get across with that, but his obsession with chemistry and biology motifs strike again.

Granite

- The screetch of the guitar chord at 2:32, right before the breakdown, sounds almost like a car hitting the breaks and skidding. Works well with Granite's theme of car crashes. You can almost imagine someone having an argument in the car, and the screetch is a result of things going a bit too far.

Vore

- Like I said in my original post, in the beginning (first fifteen seconds), along with the scratchy guitar chord, there are chewing and swallowing sounds. The song is quite literally from the point of view of being stuck in the throat of a God.

- At 3:23 to 3:30, there are bird noises similar to the ones at the start of TMBTE! They're incredibly subtle, but they're there. If you can't pinpoint it, there's a squeaking noise at 3:27, which is just a bird tweeting!

Rain

- From 3:55 to the end of the song, there's rain, which is obviously very fitting. Not specifically rain tapping on a rooftop, but more so rain pouring down a gutter, at least to me.

Take Me Back To Eden

- From 0:00 to 0:40, there's echoed animal noises, like if you were to stand in the middle of a rainforest. The song starts of in absolute silence, only broken by nature; not a human made noise to be heard. It's quite literally Eden. These sounds are there throughout the song, they just get much harder to hear the longer Vessel sings and the more instruments they later on top of eachother.

- At 1:42, there's either a Lion's or a Tiger's roar.

- From 3:10-3:16, there's the sound of thunder.

- A lot of the jingles you hear in The Summoning are repeated here! E.g; 3:40 and, more clearly, at 4:50 and 7:50.

- The lyrics "we were tangled up like branches in a flood; it was no accident" are direct refrences to the lyrics in Chokehold.

Euclid

- The song is 5 minutes and 13 seconds long, but Vessel only starts singing at the 13 second mark. The first lyric? "Just run it back, give me five whole minutes". We, as the listener give him five whole minutes to say what he's gotta say. Further, the song ends on the exact same piano chord that it begins with; the song, in of itself, is a loop. Anytime you play Euclid on loop, you are running it back and giving him five whole minutes. One of the reasons Euclid is my favourite (next to Aqua Regia) for this album.

- The lyrics "the night belongs to you" and "this bough is broken through" are lyrical refrences to The Nigh Does not Belong to God from Sundowning and When The Bough Breaks from One. The oldest album, and ST's first produced album.

- From 4:02 to the end of the song, a verse from The Night Does Not Belong To God is played. It completes the produced album trilogy, and, with the five stages of grief, allows for acceptance and healing. Euclid not only loops itself, but loops the three albums together. Sundowning, TPWBYT and TMBTE are an endless loop that can and will be played as many times as needed for Vessel, for you, as the listener, to heal. To accept change. To realise there's more than denial, anger bargaining and depression. And I think that, in of itself, is beautiful.

---------

Album Notes: Sleep Token really put their whole soul into this album huh. By far, it's the one that uses SFX the most, and rounds out Sleep Token's own genre as a whole. We see snippets of older songs used throughout the album, both lyrical refrences and actual chunks of old songs taken out and placed within other ones. 10/10, would cry to again.

Thank you for reading through all my thoughts and feelings, whoever you are. Remember, the night belongs to you; worship <3.

[imalsoscarlet]

Just a musing on something the Eden's Rest Discord server talked about a week ago.

Bloodsport- choking on sin, Vessel knows this relationship is toxic; he shouldn't fight for it but he is.

Missing Limbs- choking on desire, Vessel fighting with himself over the toxic relationship but still giving into it.

Euclid- learning how to swallow let go, Vessel moving forward from the toxic relationship but looking back on the brief movements when it was "good"; it hurts to let go but Vessel knows (finally) this is the right choice.

(More under the cut)

Perhaps it's because I'm one of those certified Aromantic Folks™️ (a queer person if you will), but when I first listened through Sleep Token's three albums I didn't interpret any of the lyrics as romantic. I knew a bit about the lore and I kind of figured that Vessel's lyrics was about Sleep or something along those lines. I personally interpret the lyrics as Vessel searching for Sleep and battling another corrupted force along the way. But the more I listen to Sleep Token the more I can understand how anyone can subscribe to a romance story with Sleep Token's discography. Though a very toxic one, cause like... woof. Have you heard those lyrics?

Anyways, I also think that Sleep Token's music can also be interpreted to mean battling and/or struggling with other things that can "corrupt" you. Everything from drugs to eating disorders. A person can be turned from their "path of reason" in many ways. The machinations of a god or gods can be one. Getting with the wrong crowd can be another. For me, Sleep Token's discography is filled with a "choose your own adventure" type story just as much as it's filled with killer beats.

[sleepanonymous]

hi! wanted to ask a few people this: since wembley is in 2 weeks, do you have any predictions on what might happen, or do you think sleep token will do anything special?

Hey Anon! Ty for the ask (and I'm also super sorry if I'm the last person to answer). I have a few predictions for the Wembley Ritual, yeah, mostly what I’ve heard from other fans, though. I think the majority of these were already listed by others, but here are my predictions in order of least likely to most likely:

Sleep Token will unmask I honestly never see them unmasking, at least not on stage. There may be identity acknowledgement at some point, since it’s getting harder and harder for fans to dodge that information, but I don’t think we will ever see Sleep Token live on stage performing without their masks, especially at Wembley. It would go against the “separation of art from the artist” viewpoint that Vessel and the band have.

Vessel will speak I don’t think Vessel will directly address the audience for similar reasons that I mentioned above. The focus is on Sleep Token’s music, not on the people performing it.

The ritual will be professionally recorded/live streamed The band has strict photography rules and employs their own photographer for a reason. Also I'm 95% certain that their photographer had said in a TikTok live several weeks back that the band did not want their rituals professionally recorded. (If I'm remembering that incorrectly or if that statement is out of context, please let me know, I don't have TT and didn't watch that live)

Hozier will be present Not saying it’ll be a collab/duet, but... Hozier is playing the same venue on December 15th sooo it’s possible he might be spotted watching Sleep Token (like Will Ramos was at BRRF 2023).

A new AI-voice message will be played for the audience I’m not sure what it would say, but they’ve played messages for fans all last September/October as well as important ritual dates like the 2021 Heavy Music Awards and the Room Below ritual.

Vessel will confuse the lyrics on Aqua Regia 🎵🎶No wonder my arms are still ringing 🎶🎵 (I can’t be the only person who loves when this happens, right? I just think it’s endearing)

It will be a regular show As much as it sucks, this might just be a ritual with nothing spectacularly out of the ordinary. Even if this is the case, it’s still going to be an amazing experience for all 12.5k fans in attendance, and all other fans who will live vicariously through their recordings on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Sleep Token will play Take Me Back to Eden and/or Euclid live for the first time It’s gonna happen. It might actually happen during one of the Germany rituals, but it will definitely happen this year (if they don’t I will be so disappointed, like you have no idea)

[faithghoul]

I had a moment of revelation when I listened to Euclid just a few minutes ago. As we all know Sleep Token loves, loves metaphors and double meaning in their lyrics, and this particular part of Euclid hit me hard:

“If my fate is a bad collision, and if my mind is an open highway.”

Let's start from the 2nd line: I understand that part as Vessel had plans, dreams, and a future for him and his loved one. "Open highway" means a long journey. Since the highways are generally straight ahead and are meant to be uninterrupted lanes, he was expecting the process of building this future to work smoothly.

Then we go to the 1st line. "My fate is a bad collision" = A collision in a highway = An interruption. Whatever the interruption was, it surely caused a bad ending to their planned future. He got crushed by the realization that whatever he did, he would never be able to build or have a future together with them. He blames fate for keeping them from having a future together.

[bubacorn]

thank you @tonguetyd and @sleepiesttoken for the tag! 💜 so... 6 albums i've been enjoying lately

…And I Return to Nothingness by Lorna Shore

sometimes i feel like i don't know what i want to listen to, so i choose Will screaming into my ears. it's a good listen especially when you're struggling to do your shopping amongst a bunch of obnoxious elderly people

favorite song: i'll always be partial to To the Hellfire cause it was the first song i heard from them, but also Of the Abyss is *mwah*

2. technically and EP, but whatever One by Sleep Token

i gotta admit, up until recently, i didn't really listen to One. it was okay, but i just didn't click with it. then the other day for some reason Thread the Needle was stuck in my head, so i spent the last few days listening to the album on repeat

favorite song: i'm gonna say When the Bough Breaks at the moment

3. technically it's not a full album yet, but Keep Me Fed by The Warning

i'm excited about this one. when it came out, i didn't like S!CK that much, but then i also listened to the other two new songs and they got stuck in my head on repeat

favorite song: MORE is a banger, but i also like This Hell You Call A Dream a lot

4. Live in London by Zeal & Ardor

i know i keep bringing up this one, but it's just so, so good

favorite song: right now it's Ship on Fire (my brain sometimes goes 'we got seven different letters in seven rows' out of nowhere, and the word 'widdershins' just sounds so satisfying the way Manuel says it)

5. Take Me Back To Eden by Sleep Token

i promise, i listen to music other than Sleep Token, but TMBTE is just a masterpiece, i start playing Chokehold, and then the next thing i know Euclid is coming to an end. bangers all around

favorite song: i'm gonna say Aqua Regia, just to pick one and not mull over it

6. technically not an album, but it's my best friend, my pal, my homeboy, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good-time boy Jaws by Sleep Token

sometimes, listening to Jaws is like coming home in a way? i do a lot of editing/writing to Jaws (and Dark Signs), i think mostly because of the steadiness of them, and the way they can feel like you're playing one long song, and it's familiar, so my brain doesn't get stuck on the lyrics. i usually can't study/write listening to music with lyrics (or just a certain few albums). Jaws is just so inexplicably special to me

tagging @a-s-levynn @takemetoasgard @stellasplendens @herbal-quintessence @polteergeistt @whataboutyouisamascot (if you want to, of course, no pressure) 🌻 have a lovely day, everyone!

[channelsoph]

do you think TMBTE is the last album Sleep Token will release? i sorta kinda think it is because Euclid ends the same way The Night Belongs To You starts. and also this album has A LOT of “closure” moments i.e. also in Euclid there is the line that goes “This bough has broken through / I must be someone new” which i think refers to When the Bough Breaks (a song from their first album literally named “One”) and drives it to a logical finale. and the second part of that line (“I must be someone new”) i think refers to Vessel saying that Sleep needs to find another one.

there generally are a lot of these “coming to an end” or “healing” (if we speak of their lyrics as a story of the relationship between Sleep and Vessel) themes in the lyrics of tmbte. compared to the sundowning or tpwbyt anyway. like Granite for example is a lot like the “healing” part. it’s about recognizing the toxic patterns and choosing not to entertain them anymore (or at least just recognizing, because it is so very important). Are You Really Okay? falls in that same area for me also.

also there is a theme of return lingering throughout. Take Me Back To Eden - it’s literally in the name. Euclid’s “Just run it back, give me five whole minutes” asks of us to return.

i also think in Take Me Back To Eden the line “And I don’t know what’s got its teeth in me but I’m about to bite back in anger” can be interpreted as a “healing” of sorts or at least a step on a path to it. it sounds like the narrator is in pain but this is all part of the process. as a person in therapy i relate to this a lot and i also get that healing can be angsty and angry and painful.

also i find a lot more parallels lyrically as well as musically with their other works than in any other album. like sundowning and tpwbyt do not really interact this intensely with each other or with their previous music. in tmbte i can find a musical or a lyrical “quote”/rework/reference to their previous songs much more often. i’m also obviously not a music journalist or theorist, i just have thoughts sometimes :)

[prettyandsarcastic]

heart on the stage

Seven (@infamous-if)/MC

≈2,300 words

Mentions of substance/alcohol abuse

EDIT: I had to repost this because I noticed I got Avina's pronouns wrong. Also added some things.

Music to read by: "Euclid" by Sleep Token 

The whiskey sears down her throat as Munroe throws back the shot, so used to it now that it no longer comes with the full body shiver as it settles in her empty stomach. For courage, she tells herself, has to tell herself. Not to dull the ache in her chest or the pounding between her ears, or burn out the sharp pain in the back of her throat. And that’s definitely why she’s taking shots in the bathroom of the green room because she’s not hiding it. No, of course not. 

Her eyes drag upwards to meet her reflection in the dirty mirror and she nearly laughs. The stage makeup just barely hides the dark circles, and the contour only draws more attention to how hollow her cheeks have become in the last months. Despite the wild, manic brightness behind her eyes, she can’t help but think how threadbare she looks. 

Munroe takes a deep, steadying breath and steps out into the green room as her bandmates all turn to her with varying degrees of concern. And why wouldn’t they? These last months they’ve seen her fall farther than she ever thought she would trying to chase away an unspeakable heartbreak, while she tried to keep the fracturing pieces of herself together long enough to get them through to the winner’s circle. And with all their eyes on her, Munroe has never been more aware of the fact that she’s become their weakest link. 

Especially after their last gig landed them in the bottom two and so close to elimination. She knows it was her fault, so out of her mind that she barely remembers performing. When she watched the performance back, saw how she staggered around the stage and skipped whole lines in the lyrics it made her physically ill. 

Her vision fills suddenly with Orion as he steps up to her. His warm hands cup her face and draw her eyes to meet his. Munroe sees herself as he sees her in the reflection of his dark eyes - blown pupils, clammy and flushed with the hint of whiskey on her breath. 

“Munroe…” he trails off, his expression crumpling in disappointment and worry. Because she promised him she’d ease up. Orion didn’t want to see her burn out, collapse on herself like a dying star and leave just as much devastation in her wake. 

Munroe appreciates Orion and everything he does, more than she could ever say, but this isn’t what she needs from him right now. She needs the man who has helped take care of her, promised to get her through this, who has kept her on just this side of breaking. She needs the calm, steady presence that she’s come to rely on - the eye in the center of the storm she's become.

“I’m fine,” she snaps, twisting her head from his hands. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We’ve never played this song live before,” Devyn pipes up. Beside them Iris anxiously gnaws on her thumb, and by the look on her face she agrees. 

Munroe sighs. “Look, I know this hasn’t exactly been the experience we expected and I know I fucked up last gig, but I need you guys to just… keep trusting me.”

She knows she’s asking a lot, but Devyn’s right. The song they have lined up for their performance has never seen the light of day. And while Munroe puts a piece of herself into every song she writes and bares herself for the world to judge with every performance, this song will be the equivalent of pulling her heart from her chest for a live audience. 

Rowan rises from his seat, nervous energy obvious in the way his fingers twitch at his side - pantomiming his chords. He’s unusually serious because he knows what this song means to her, knows what singing it is going to do to her. But he smiles wide and confident as he cups her face in much the same way Orion had. 

“We’re gonna fucking kill it,” he says, taking over Munroe’s usual task of assuring them that their performance is going to be amazing because she’s not sure she could muster her optimism. “They won’t know what hit them.”

“We’ve got your back, Munroe,” August says with a nod.

Her phone vibrates in her hand as Rowan steps away and Munroe finds a text from Sebastian: 

‘Good luck!’ 

Quickly followed by another:

‘Oh crap, I’m not supposed to say that… Break a leg! Maya and I managed to get second row! She’s practically vibrating with excitement!’

Despite herself, Munroe smiles. She can only imagine how excited Maya is going to be when she realizes the song they play is one she’s never heard. Munroe wouldn’t be surprised to see the girl combust from the stage. 

The speaker in the green room crackles to life before a tinny voice filters through: “Wanderer please make your way to the stage. Wanderer, to the stage!” 

The crowd doesn’t know it, but they’re about to witness a performance that they’re going to talk about for the rest of their lives.

.

.

Seven can’t stop smiling as the band stumbles, laughing and hollering into their green room. They gave, hands down, their best performance thus far. There’s no doubt in any of them that they’re going to make it through to the next round. One step closer to the finale. 

He feels too big for his body as he grabs and chugs a water, like he wants to run in every direction at once just to expend the pent up energy. Although he always gives everything he has into every performance, tonight feels different and his throat is on fire from singing, adrenaline bitter in the back of his throat and he can hear his blood in his ears. Nothing could kill this high. 

Not even when Avina turns on the TV and switches to the channel featuring Battle of the Bands and he hears: “Stay tuned! Up next are everyone’s favorite underdogs: Wanderer! Can they claw their way out of being in the bottom two from last show?” 

“God, turn it off,” Kieran moans, “We don’t need to watch them this time - we won this round!”

Avina turns and gives Kieran a look. Their hair is sweat-damp mess, cheeks rosy. “I want to watch it, thank you very much.”

Kieran gapes at them before turning to him, “C’mon man, I know you agree with me. Besides, after their last gig, ain’t no way they’re staying after this week.” 

Part of him wants to agree with Kieran. Wanderer bombed their last gig so badly Seven's surprised that they weren't eliminated. And it wasn't even the band's fault - it was Munroe. She'd been such a mess, so clearly not in her right mind, her voice wrecked and thready, even forgetting her own lyrics.  

But Seven’s on cloud nine, his ex could walk into their green room right now and he wouldn’t give a shit. He shrugs, “Let 'em watch it.”

The commercial break ends, the camera pans along the audience before Munroe’s band is introduced and then the lights on the stage go out completely. Seven resists the urge to roll his eyes - always with the theatrics. 

A single spotlight comes to life on the stage. Munroe is seated at a keyboard with no sign of her bandmates. Seven watches as she takes a deep breath before raising her hands to the keys and starts to play - something slower and emotional so unlike Wanderer’s previous, high energy performances. Did she really think a ballad was a good idea? 

It feels like a bucket of ice water gets upturned over his head when she begins to sing - no back up, just Munroe and the keyboard for the opening lines of the song. It’s been so long since he’s heard her play, he had almost forgotten how good she was. It feels like a lifetime ago when it was just her and her keyboard and him and his guitar writing together, falling together between chords and lyrics. 

“Turn it up,” Seven says, ignoring the surprised looks from his band. 

As the lights dim once again, the rest of the band’s vocals rise like a choir in the dark for the refrain, which surprises him because Rowan and Iris don’t usually provide backup vocals. He sees Munroe’s shadow take her mic and make its way to the front of the stage, place the mic in its stand. The rise of the band’s instruments finally coming in takes his breath away as the lights come back up and Munroe, now joined by the band, is backlit by the stage lights, her too thin silhouette outlined in the short, sheer black kaftan-like dress she’s wearing. 

These months on tour have worn her thin, broken her down in a way Seven never thought possible. Munroe is an eternal optimist, she's not like him, she pushes aside her anger, her hurt, holds it quietly inside herself and puts a smile on her face, always, because she never wants anyone to worry about her. But this tour has dulled her light, turned her into something Seven never, no matter how he felt about her, wanted to see. 

Munroe has thrown herself into self-destruction as she is wont to do. Into the parties, the hookups, and the glamor of it all - anything to avoid facing herself. She’s tried to hide the effects, but Seven notices more than he’d like - the drinking, the erratic behavior, the insomnia, the bloody noses. 

Something in his chest kicks watching her and it suddenly occurs to him - he’s never heard this song before. This is new, or at least unreleased… and then it dawns on him: This is for me. And Munroe’s singing with her entire being, all her rage and pain and heartbreak displayed on live television for someone who has barely shown her any kindness these last few months. 

And she had endured it all, his snide comments, his attutude, his disdain for her with such grace. While there were moments when Munroe seemed to reach the end of her long suffering patience, she still smiled at him, always had a kind word for most everyone, hid behind her laugh. Now, a shadow lurked behind her eyes, and Seven is forced to face the uncomfortable fact that he's, at least in part, responsible.

The camera pans to the audience that seems to be held in a daze as they watch her. And Seven understands, he really does. At her best, Munroe is magnificent on stage, something divine - a goddess demanding devotion and supplication from the masses. 

They bring Munroe in close up - there are tears lining her cheeks, but her voice is strong as ever, ringing clear throughout the venue as the song comes into the denouement. It’s as soft as the beginning of the song, with the band slowly fading out until - 

"You will never be mine…"

The lyric hits like a punch in the gut as, for a moment, the crowd is quiet in awe and then erupts into uproarious applause. He watches as Rowan sets his guitar aside and rushes Munroe, enveloping her in his arms. To the crowd and the people at home, it’s a happy hug - a celebration of just how amazing their set was, but it’s not. It’s to keep Munroe from crumpling right there on stage - he saw how her knees went weak.  

Seven’s on his feet before he even realizes he’s moved, propelled by a sudden gripping panic. He hears the questioning of his bandmates, but can’t make out the words over the roar in his ears, the way his heart wants to escape the prison of his ribs. He rips off his mic, then he’s over the back of the couch and out the door of the green room, sprinting full tilt down the hallway. 

The song wasn’t just for him. It was good-bye. It was letting him know, in the only way he’d listen, the only way he'd hear, that Munroe was letting him go. And Seven realizes he doesn’t accept it, can’t accept it. Once, not even very long ago, it was what he wanted, a freedom from the grip she's always had on his heart and soul. But he didn't realize until now just how much he unintentionally let her light and warmth back into himself because despite his behavior toward her, Munroe still tried. Tried until she was fractured and hopeless and worn. It was something he loved and loathed about her in equal measure, her refusal to give up even when she should. 

Seven bursts through the door to backstage, dodging stage crew and members of other bands. He’s managed to make it backstage in time for Wanderer to come off the stage. He has to get to Munroe before she’s mic’d up again, before the after-performance confessional. 

His body collides with hers with a surprised grunt, and for once he doesn’t care about the cameras and the people as he gathers her against his chest. 

“Seven?” Munroe chokes out. But he feels her cling to him, her hands under his vest, nails in the back of his shirt. Then she's trembling, crying softly into his chest. Finally shattering apart as he tries to hold her together.

“I’m sorry,” he says, into the damp of her hair. He has so much to apologize for, so much to make up to her. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, as he angles her face up to his, thumbing away fresh tears. And the awe on her face breaks something in him in turn, because he knows she doesn't believe he's there. 

“I’m sorry,” he says against her lips. They have so much lost time to make up. 

And kissing Munroe feels like a sun rising in his chest, like being found, like coming home.