Black Sabbath - Heaven Or Hell 5/5
I realize I'm about 40 years behind but I skipped Dio era Sabbath for so long and now I'm thinking how dare I. It's so good! So much better than their mid-late 70s output when the band was falling apart. Slick production and Dio bringing killer vocals and some of the best guitar playing I've heard from Tony Iommi. Just seems like a whole new energized band. It might just be my favorite album by Sabbath. Ranks close to the first and second album for me.
The Official Album Review Thread
Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden Album Review
Happy 4th of July to everyone! It's nice to have a day off during the week. I felt compelled to return and write a review for my album of the year (yes I know it's only July but I've listened to almost 50 albums already in 2023). My review will be similar to what I posted on Google but with more detail for each song as in my previous posts. My introduction to Sleep Token was their song Chokehold back in February. It popped up at random on my Pandora new hard rock/metal station. I liked it immediately because it sounded so different from everything else. After a few more listens I knew I wanted to hear more from the band. The Summoning, Granite, Aqua Regia, and Vore propelled me on a four month journey (listening to Sundowning, This Place Will Become Your Tomb, and watching numerous YouTube live performances/song reactions) that culminated in receiving my vinyl copy of Take Me Back to Eden. I was so nervous that the rest of the album would not live up to the first five releases. Thankfully, it did not disappoint, albeit two songs. I have listened to TMBTE dozens of times and continue to discover new things.
1. Chokehold - opens with 30 second instrumental and what sounds like birds tweeting in the background. Vessel's voice takes center stage. It's incredibly unique and many have said he sounds similar to Chris Martin from Coldplay, Dan Smith - Bastille, Dan Reynolds - Imagine Dragons, and Hozier. When the song finally kicks in at around 1:40 - "You got me in a Chokehold". It does so with beats, moaned aaah-ah-aaah-ahs, and raging guitars. This is what Sleep Token does so well - calculated buildup and then they smack you upside the head. Lyrically and melodically they manage to pull you into this world where you can't help but sing along. The drumming on this song has a jazzy feel. There are layers upon layers without the song ever becoming so muddy that you can't hear what's going on. It ends with a growled breath...8.5/10.
2. The Summoning - this may be the best song the band has done out of their entire catalog. Shoots out of the gate with thunderous guitars and drumming combined with an eery bell like sound. The atmosphere and swelling to "Raise me up again" is magical. II's drumming is off the charts. Then we get the whisper scream "See the other SIIIIIIIIIIDE!". The metal side of the band is displayed in full force. Suddenly we are thrown for a loop at 2:04 with a super jazzy guitar solo from IV. The falsetto on "won't you show me what it's like" coupled with the echoed scream at 3:08 is one of my favorite parts. And then we go full on instrumental again with panning from left to right in the headphones. Some light piano and cool zinging/zooming effects along with a fluttering noise until 5:01 with the rat-a-tat resuming of II's drums. What the FUNK? "Oh and my love, did I mistake you for a sign from God?" I love the sound - is that an effect pedal on the bass/guitar? It's such an unexpected transition but it lyrically mirrors the beginning of the song. Incredible bookend. 10/10!
III is so fun to watch.
3. Granite - a tone setting keyboard opening. Great bass work. It's got a hip-hop feel with the synthetic beat. Vessel gets the flow going "If you had a problem, then you should have told me, before you started getting all aggressive and controlling". More layers are introduced. Sudden drop out at 2:15. You can feel the buildup - almost like the seconds before a car accident/imminent collision. Guitar and drums explode and then combine with revolving synth. Song ends on clap beats. 8/10.
4. Aqua Regia - another resonating/reverbing synth line that gets married to a luscious piano. "Hey!" gets my attention. Snapping sounds and deliciously warm bass tone. "Integrated hardware you cannot afford". The drums kick in at 1:20. Man, what a groove. They can get my body moving. I had this chorus stuck in my head for weeks. All of my co-workers looked at me funny when I was walking around singing it. At 2:14 it sounds like you are in a jazz club with conversation, kitchen sounds, and drinks pouring. A sweeping chime sound at 2:33. And that guitar tone through the end of the song is cozy man, cozy. We get Vessel's wonderful vocal tremors and shakes. Ends somewhat abruptly with quick fadeout. 8.5/10.
5. Vore - droning sound....unsettling. The sudden maniacal drumming at :14 is startling. I had to look up the lyrics to this song because of how dramatically different Vessel sounds. "Are you in pain like I am?" Listen to what he does at "if we go deep-aaah-ah-ah". I love the rich, full sound at "so let's get swallowed whole". We transition around the 3:00 mark. "There is always something in the way". Sounds like a harpsichord. The outro lasts almost a full minute "Are you in pain like I am?". I like that repeated line. 8.5/10.
6. Ascensionism - starts very slowly with piano. I've said before how much I like this in hard rock/metal. This song starts as a throwback to songs like Bloodsport. It's just Vessel pouring his heart out. The gradual introduction of musical/electronic elements is extremely well done. The way they transition in each song is extremely well done. 1:46 - "Who made you like this?" He can actually pull off the rapping convincingly and there's light vocoder work going on with the trap beats kicking in "Won't you come and dance in the dark with me?". There is a lyrical clue to Vessel's identity in the song. And then we move to another transition at 4:00 "Diamonds in the trees, pentagrams in the night sky" with that doomy, downtuned guitar feel and rolling drums. Goes instrumental for a bit until "You cannot watch me ascend" and then we turn back to the beginning. Ends with "you make me wish I could disappear". A bit too long for me. 7/10.
7. Are You Really Okay? - Musically, this one sounds like Yellow Ledbetter from Pearl Jam to me. It's the definition of meandering in my book. Drums and full guitars come in with the piano and backing vocals to flesh out the song a little more. Lyrically, the song has a nice straightforward message but it fails to light me up beyond that. 4/10.
8. The Apparition - I like when songs start with a question - "Why are you never real?". At 1:00 it feels like we are going into full dance club mode. The beats and bass have returned. Feels like Ascensionism, but I like the theme of the lyrics - longing for a dreamlike lover. We follow the same formula as previous songs - instrumental portions with buried vocals. Ends with oohs over the beats. 7/10.
9. DYWTYLM - when this song came out right before the album release I felt that sickening feeling and though "oh no!". It's so off the wall and yes, I've heard Fall For Me and Give. I don't particularly like those songs either. This is by far the weakest song on the album and one that I could have done without. 1/10.
10. Rain - this song is the polar opposite of the previous one. Great piano, lyrics, and singing. Fantastic chorus "and just like the rain, you cast the dust into nothing". I love the hip-hop transition to the guitars at 1:27 - "I'm coiled up like a venomous serpent". All of the Sleep Token elements are here in full effect. There's sound of rushing stream and rain in the background. It has that big Take Me To Church sound. My second favorite on the album - 9.5/10.
11. Take Me Back to Eden - this is a perfect example of where the title track delivers. It's a long one at 8:20. Opens with some really cool background sounds. Vessel sounds AMAZING. Takes us on a journey. For me, it's like musical cooking - gradually adding the ingredients and mixing them together to create majestic results. Quiets down and then back to the beats and rapping. I think this is the best usage on the album. "My my, those eyes like fire, I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre". Gorgeous dropout "I guess it goes to show, does it not, we've no idea what we've got until we lose it". They incorporate the lyrics of Chokehold towards the end and I like how that's done. More whisper-screaming with "I will travel far beyond the path of reason". The outro of the song highlights the guitars and drumming again. 9/10.
12. Euclid - dare I say cheerful? "Just run it back, give me five whole minutes". Cool vocal effect "Call me when you get the chance". The guitar/drum bursts are well done "Do you remember me". The piano weaves in and out of the song. Another clue... Some great callbacks to previous songs - The Night Belongs To God, Jaws, Mine, etc. It's a great way to end the album and close out the trilogy. 8.5/10.
This is not a perfect album, but I believe it is the best out of the three that Sleep Token has released. Sundowning had great songs in The Offering, Dark Signs, and Higher. This Place Will Become Your Tomb featured standouts in Hypnosis and Alkaline. Take Me Back to Eden fleshes out what makes those previous songs great and expands them vocally, lyrically, and musically. There is incredible diversity in the songs and I know exactly which one I am listening to. One final note, the album artwork is extremely well done and gives each song a VISUAL identity. I vote for the artist to be unofficially V. I was fortunate to get tickets to see Sleep Token live in Minnesota in September and can't wait for the live experience. I give the album 8.5/10.
1. Chokehold - opens with 30 second instrumental and what sounds like birds tweeting in the background. Vessel's voice takes center stage. It's incredibly unique and many have said he sounds similar to Chris Martin from Coldplay, Dan Smith - Bastille, Dan Reynolds - Imagine Dragons, and Hozier. When the song finally kicks in at around 1:40 - "You got me in a Chokehold". It does so with beats, moaned aaah-ah-aaah-ahs, and raging guitars. This is what Sleep Token does so well - calculated buildup and then they smack you upside the head. Lyrically and melodically they manage to pull you into this world where you can't help but sing along. The drumming on this song has a jazzy feel. There are layers upon layers without the song ever becoming so muddy that you can't hear what's going on. It ends with a growled breath...8.5/10.
2. The Summoning - this may be the best song the band has done out of their entire catalog. Shoots out of the gate with thunderous guitars and drumming combined with an eery bell like sound. The atmosphere and swelling to "Raise me up again" is magical. II's drumming is off the charts. Then we get the whisper scream "See the other SIIIIIIIIIIDE!". The metal side of the band is displayed in full force. Suddenly we are thrown for a loop at 2:04 with a super jazzy guitar solo from IV. The falsetto on "won't you show me what it's like" coupled with the echoed scream at 3:08 is one of my favorite parts. And then we go full on instrumental again with panning from left to right in the headphones. Some light piano and cool zinging/zooming effects along with a fluttering noise until 5:01 with the rat-a-tat resuming of II's drums. What the FUNK? "Oh and my love, did I mistake you for a sign from God?" I love the sound - is that an effect pedal on the bass/guitar? It's such an unexpected transition but it lyrically mirrors the beginning of the song. Incredible bookend. 10/10!
III is so fun to watch.
3. Granite - a tone setting keyboard opening. Great bass work. It's got a hip-hop feel with the synthetic beat. Vessel gets the flow going "If you had a problem, then you should have told me, before you started getting all aggressive and controlling". More layers are introduced. Sudden drop out at 2:15. You can feel the buildup - almost like the seconds before a car accident/imminent collision. Guitar and drums explode and then combine with revolving synth. Song ends on clap beats. 8/10.
4. Aqua Regia - another resonating/reverbing synth line that gets married to a luscious piano. "Hey!" gets my attention. Snapping sounds and deliciously warm bass tone. "Integrated hardware you cannot afford". The drums kick in at 1:20. Man, what a groove. They can get my body moving. I had this chorus stuck in my head for weeks. All of my co-workers looked at me funny when I was walking around singing it. At 2:14 it sounds like you are in a jazz club with conversation, kitchen sounds, and drinks pouring. A sweeping chime sound at 2:33. And that guitar tone through the end of the song is cozy man, cozy. We get Vessel's wonderful vocal tremors and shakes. Ends somewhat abruptly with quick fadeout. 8.5/10.
5. Vore - droning sound....unsettling. The sudden maniacal drumming at :14 is startling. I had to look up the lyrics to this song because of how dramatically different Vessel sounds. "Are you in pain like I am?" Listen to what he does at "if we go deep-aaah-ah-ah". I love the rich, full sound at "so let's get swallowed whole". We transition around the 3:00 mark. "There is always something in the way". Sounds like a harpsichord. The outro lasts almost a full minute "Are you in pain like I am?". I like that repeated line. 8.5/10.
6. Ascensionism - starts very slowly with piano. I've said before how much I like this in hard rock/metal. This song starts as a throwback to songs like Bloodsport. It's just Vessel pouring his heart out. The gradual introduction of musical/electronic elements is extremely well done. The way they transition in each song is extremely well done. 1:46 - "Who made you like this?" He can actually pull off the rapping convincingly and there's light vocoder work going on with the trap beats kicking in "Won't you come and dance in the dark with me?". There is a lyrical clue to Vessel's identity in the song. And then we move to another transition at 4:00 "Diamonds in the trees, pentagrams in the night sky" with that doomy, downtuned guitar feel and rolling drums. Goes instrumental for a bit until "You cannot watch me ascend" and then we turn back to the beginning. Ends with "you make me wish I could disappear". A bit too long for me. 7/10.
7. Are You Really Okay? - Musically, this one sounds like Yellow Ledbetter from Pearl Jam to me. It's the definition of meandering in my book. Drums and full guitars come in with the piano and backing vocals to flesh out the song a little more. Lyrically, the song has a nice straightforward message but it fails to light me up beyond that. 4/10.
8. The Apparition - I like when songs start with a question - "Why are you never real?". At 1:00 it feels like we are going into full dance club mode. The beats and bass have returned. Feels like Ascensionism, but I like the theme of the lyrics - longing for a dreamlike lover. We follow the same formula as previous songs - instrumental portions with buried vocals. Ends with oohs over the beats. 7/10.
9. DYWTYLM - when this song came out right before the album release I felt that sickening feeling and though "oh no!". It's so off the wall and yes, I've heard Fall For Me and Give. I don't particularly like those songs either. This is by far the weakest song on the album and one that I could have done without. 1/10.
10. Rain - this song is the polar opposite of the previous one. Great piano, lyrics, and singing. Fantastic chorus "and just like the rain, you cast the dust into nothing". I love the hip-hop transition to the guitars at 1:27 - "I'm coiled up like a venomous serpent". All of the Sleep Token elements are here in full effect. There's sound of rushing stream and rain in the background. It has that big Take Me To Church sound. My second favorite on the album - 9.5/10.
11. Take Me Back to Eden - this is a perfect example of where the title track delivers. It's a long one at 8:20. Opens with some really cool background sounds. Vessel sounds AMAZING. Takes us on a journey. For me, it's like musical cooking - gradually adding the ingredients and mixing them together to create majestic results. Quiets down and then back to the beats and rapping. I think this is the best usage on the album. "My my, those eyes like fire, I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre". Gorgeous dropout "I guess it goes to show, does it not, we've no idea what we've got until we lose it". They incorporate the lyrics of Chokehold towards the end and I like how that's done. More whisper-screaming with "I will travel far beyond the path of reason". The outro of the song highlights the guitars and drumming again. 9/10.
12. Euclid - dare I say cheerful? "Just run it back, give me five whole minutes". Cool vocal effect "Call me when you get the chance". The guitar/drum bursts are well done "Do you remember me". The piano weaves in and out of the song. Another clue... Some great callbacks to previous songs - The Night Belongs To God, Jaws, Mine, etc. It's a great way to end the album and close out the trilogy. 8.5/10.
This is not a perfect album, but I believe it is the best out of the three that Sleep Token has released. Sundowning had great songs in The Offering, Dark Signs, and Higher. This Place Will Become Your Tomb featured standouts in Hypnosis and Alkaline. Take Me Back to Eden fleshes out what makes those previous songs great and expands them vocally, lyrically, and musically. There is incredible diversity in the songs and I know exactly which one I am listening to. One final note, the album artwork is extremely well done and gives each song a VISUAL identity. I vote for the artist to be unofficially V. I was fortunate to get tickets to see Sleep Token live in Minnesota in September and can't wait for the live experience. I give the album 8.5/10.
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_