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Let's be real: Sleep Token are now one of the biggest bands in all of metal. Our 2023 Artist of the Year took the internet by storm way back in early January, when their surprise singles "Chokehold" and "The Summoning" quickly went viral, and the masked anonymous djenre-benders swiftly rocketed to headliner status.
Even though they first landed on so many people's radar in 2023, it's now hard to imagine a heavy-music landscape without Sleep Token and their three albums' worth of life-changing songs.
Naturally, Revolver readers and Sleep Token fans are one in the same, so we asked our audience to pick the single greatest song Vessel and Co. have ever released. An enthusiastic "all of them" was a very common answer, but the top five vote-getters are ranked accordingly below.
5. "Rain"
One thing about Sleep Token fans is that, for them, there are no "deep cuts" in the band's catalog. Every crevice of their discography is religiously studied by their listeners, and therefore "Rain" — the third-to-last song on Take Me Back to Eden — is heralded as one of their best.
This Weeknd-ish R&B bop quietly grows from a tender piano ballad to a stomp-clap march, and then those stark percussive slaps are replaced by gigantic djent chugs. The best part is the chorus, where Vessel croons, "And just like the rain," with enough gusto to send shivers down the spine.
4. "Alkaline"
The only song to crack this list that isn't from Take Me Back to Eden is "Alkaline." That's not to say Sleep Token's previous two albums are bad by any means, but clearly the band are operating on a different level now, and "Alkaline" is a track from 2021's This Place Will Become Your Tomb that meets their current high-water mark.
If anyone doubted Vessel's pop prowess on Sundowning, this centerpiece from Sleep Token's second LP shut them up once and for all. The way the song blends trap drums, a rap-sung verse and concussive djent riffs is alluring, and then the propulsive chorus captures listeners' attention like a spider ensnaring its prey.
3. "The Summoning"
Even though plenty of hardcore Sleep Token fans probably consider "The Summoning" entry level by now, you really can't have a conversation about the band's greatest achievements without mentioning the song that broke them into unprecedented levels of popularity.
How did this song get so big? Simple: It whips. The way it jostles back and forth from serene alt-rock to bludgeoning metal is classic Sleep Token, but not even their most dedicated followers could deny how thrown for a loop they were the first time they heard that funk switch-up at the end. Genius.
2. "Euclid"
"Euclid" is an extremely important song in Sleep Token's discography. Not only does it conclude Take Me Back to Eden, but it also concludes the story of the three-album trilogy that began two records prior.
At the end of this majestic piano-rock ballad, a chorus of voices join together to sing "Turn black in the lowlight," and other lines that are directly ripped from Sundowning's first song, "The Night Does Not Belong to God." It marks a full-circle journey, and makes for one of Sleep Token's most affecting songs ever.
1. "Ascensionism"
"Ascensionism" wasn't one of Take Me Back to Eden's many singles, but it's nevertheless become one of the most beloved Sleep Token songs — if not the single most beloved, as it came out according to this poll.
The seven-minute epic starts with extremely hushed vocals atop little drips of piano, and in typical Sleep Token fashion, the musical pieces slowly grow busier until a crashing tidal wave of djent guitars comes bursting in.
The middle portion contains some of the band's heaviest explosions, and then Vessel wraps everything together in a chant-worthy rock chorus that brings "Ascensionism" to a mighty finale.
It's not the only Sleep Token song that builds that way, nor is their single heaviest or catchiest tune. But you'd be hard-pressed to find a song that showcases all of the band's greatest talents together in the way this one does.
