In my opinion, “ Missing Limbs” follows on from Vessel’s outpouring of feelings and vulnerable thoughts in “ High Water”. Given the interpolation of Gustave Dore’s Empyrean, this seems to be where Vessel reaches this vision of empyrean – almost as if he is standing right in front of Sleep. In comparison to other Sleep Token songs, this one sounds very close and intimate, as if Vessel were sat in the same room as the listener. Likewise, in contrast to the bulk of their catalogue it is Vessel singing about Sleep, it feels like it is the man behind the mask giving up on his love. The use of acoustic guitar also reflects this raw and ‘unmasked’ Vessel: there are no electric guitars, nor the layers of synths and ambience that typically characterise Sleep Token songs. It does not aim to follow that formula because the context of the song is completely different to anything before it. As the most ‘human song’, it is the closest approximation to what Sleep Token at its heart conveys: loss of love and heartbreak. Tiwaz — ᛏ. Association: justice, sacrifice. Most runologists believe Tiwaz denotes the warrior caste, and others that it is a symbol of self-confidence, adaptability, and readiness for self-sacrifice. According to this interpretation, this rune helps its wearer to clearly set goals and not deviate from the course to achieve them. In this situation, the rune will help to overcome all possible obstacles that interfere with the achievement of the result. In a generalised sense, helping people follow their higher purpose. The implication with reference to Vessel is clear: Vessel is Sleep’s warrior, the god’s way of interacting with the world, and also a tool for whom self-sacrifice appears inevitable.

Sleep Token - Sundowning (Deluxe) Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Sundowning is as confusing of an album as Sleep Token is as an act. Think the vocals of Bastille with the imagery of Ghost. Cloaked figure, Satanic-inspired imagery (which I'm always entertained by) and then...is that pop?? but it is welcome! I will take talented noises where I can find them! Do more of that thing please!a b c Fella, Daniel (19 November 2019). "Album Review: Sundowning – Sleep Token". Distorted Sound . Retrieved 5 March 2023. Dagaz — ᛞ. Association: awakening. Dagaz signals that a person’s well-being will increase significantly, and life will be filled with joy and happiness. The rune is harbinger of positive change, concerning not only the material aspect of life, but also the spiritual, high. It portends an imminent improvement meeting with real love, which one can interpret as Sleep.

Sundowning Double Vinyl - Milky Clear - Sleep Token Sundowning Double Vinyl - Milky Clear - Sleep Token

Weaver, James (13 December 2019). "Distorted Sound's Albums of the Year 2019". Distorted Sound . Retrieved 5 March 2023. Missing Limbs“: 10924m – Challenger Deep (the deepest point in the ocean, within the Mariana Trench. Presumably the location of the house/tomb). Well, it's a band 90% driven by their singer's rather unique voice. The songs spend vary between metal-esque dirges, electro-indie pop, and piano ballads in about equal amounts. a b Shepherd, Tom (22 November 2019). "Album Review: Sleep Token – Sundowning". Kerrang! . Retrieved 5 March 2023.

Bury me inside this labyrinth bed” perhaps indicates Sleep’s co-dependency on his Vessels, making them almost like a tomb. Since Vessel is lost, his mind is a labyrinth. “Y ou turn the lights down, come and find out,” is potentially the most multifarious line in the song: there is the obvious, sensual connotation, but also turning down the lights indicates Vessel lying down to slip into dreams, wherein he can communicate with Sleep more easily. Additionally, perhaps Sleep hopes the ‘dimming’ of Vessel’s will allow him to take over. The nod to time dilation alludes to both dreams and what it feel likes to be with a partner: everything else worldly falls away and only the moment matters. Fields of Elation shows this effect of this: without Sleep, Vessel is depressed – he feels dead already – and believes only Sleep can pull him out from his hole. Nazareth” is perhaps the result of that. It is pure, unadulterated rage. Jealousy, wrath, betrayal. Either the protagonist has been cheated on, and thus the culprit ‘deserves’ retribution, or else it is the frustration of his love not being returned. “ I’ll show you what you look like from the inside” may refer to both Vessel’s inner demons and the obvious implication of being shot. All that primal anger, all that resentment, manifested in real-world actions. “ I won’t be missing you” repeated throughout the outro feels like a lie the character tells himself. It is a sacrifice to Sleep. The identity of the woman is less clear: an ex, the woman of Vessel’s infatuation (given that the woman is the same from the video for “ The Way That You Were”), or a former worshipper of Sleep (she also features robed in “ Calcutta”). Hobson, Rich (26 January 2023). "The 10 best Sleep Token songs". Metal Hammer . Retrieved 5 March 2023. It begins with the aforementioned The Night Does Not Belong To God, a song that’s as strange and sparse as it is spellbinding. With little more than a ringing digital tone and a muscular, crooning voice, the band conjure a dense mood that hangs heavy with longing, before bantamweight drumming and Deftones-like guitars inject a jolt of power. The song’s lasting impression is one of immense feeling, and it’s this rich atmosphere that cloaks almost the entirety of Sundowning.

Sleep Token - Sundowning | Releases | Discogs

Coordinates were also scattered across the band’s merch, including the Parhelion hoodie (35.716 N, 122.7167 W – Davison Seamount, where, during a 2019 expedition, researchers discovered a whale fall at 10,623 feet below the surface) and the intro screen from band’s performance at the 2021 Heavy Music Awards (48.52.6 S, 123.23.6 W – Point Nemo, the furthest point from civilization, and thus the most remote location earth. In effect, it is a different kind of cemetery or tomb – “ Space junk started being dumped here in about 1971 and ever since it’s been the prime location for crash landing space junk.”) Hypnosis” is closely related to “ The Offering”, both lyrically and sonically, reinterpreting the melody motif from the end and beginning with a similar guitar riff to the breakdown. The lyrical parallels are undeniable:Iconography, particularly in the form of sigils, has always played an important part in conveying Sleep Token’s message. The sigils for the individual Sundowning singles were written with binds made from a combination of Futhark runes, alchemical symbols, and Ar Goetia runes. The band’s logo, from the original to the iconic one we see today, can be deconstructed into individual runes of Elder Futhark, the oldest extant runic alphabet. In spirit, Scandinavian runes were not merely grammatical morphemes but representations of a deeper, sacred meaning. Bind runes are additive, so it’s impossible to definitively state its constituents, but to me it seems that four runes make up the visualised band name: dagaz – ᛞ, tiwaz – ᛏ, uruz – ᚢ and eihwaz – ᛇ, as well as a fifth which seems to represent Vessel or Sleep in some way (the masks of the other band members bear seven prongs rather than five). All this said, it’s important to consider that finding relevant meaning in the signs will always involve a degree of confirmation bias; perhaps the band and Nemesis Design simply thought they looked cool. Decent, but rough in a lot of areas After hearing the singles for Sleep Tokens upcoming album and loving every single one of them, especially The Summoning, I was drawn to the rest of their discography to see if I could find more like their new stuff. That brought me to their first album, Sundowning. Admittedly, save for Gods – the record’s only true out-and-out metalcore song – the continuous nature of this dark mood entwined with the group’s slow-burning, listless pace does begin to drag across Sundowner’s 50-minute runtime. But there are moments here to truly savour, and ideas and experiences that feel unique. The band have shown they can create vast episodes that exist primarily within their ancient universe, while also feeling very vulnerable and human at their core. That alone should be reason enough to hope that Sleep Token’s secretive allure stays intact for a long time to come.