While She Sleeps

SLEEPS SOCIETY

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ft. Simon Neil, Deryck Whibley.
Genre: Metalcore.
Released: 16/04/2021
Via Search & Destriy / Spinefarm

Album Review: While She Sleeps – SLEEPS SOCIETY

While She Sleeps have become one of the largest bands in the UK Metalcore scene with their albums ‘You Are We’ and ‘SO WHAT?’ both receiving critical acclaim from fans and media alike. The Welsh band have gone from supporting bands like Bullet for my valentine and Architects, to selling out Brixton Academy and having a headline slot at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival! With the amount of hype around While She Sleeps, there is also pressure on being able to deliver an album that lives up to fans extremely high demands. Can Sleeps continue its momentum with ‘SLEEPS SOCIETY’? Let’s find out!

Kicking off the album is the track ‘ENLIGHTENMENT (?)’ which starts with an audio sample that leads into the Sleeps iconic sound. Mat Welsh and Sean Long have a very distinctive tone to their melodic sections on the guitar and I’m glad to hear them return right from the off. The song itself is a pleasurable listen with a nice balance of contrast between Lawrence Taylor’s clean and guttural vocals. Not to mention the awesome breakdown just before the 3-minute mark! Following that is the bands second single from this record ‘YOU ARE ALL YOU NEED’. A more heavy number that features one hell of a drumming track! Adam Savage has a great nack for introducing little fills and syncopation to add a little more impact to a track and this song is a perfect example of his ability behind a kit. Not to mention the melodic phrases once again present from Mat and Sean. A very good start to the new record from While She Sleeps

‘SYSTEMATIC’ has a more electronic feel to it with the intro capturing the fairly new sound that the band developed on ‘SO WHAT?’. The band are certainly not afraid to change things up and put their own unique twist on it and this song proves it. The use of layered vocals throughout really allow this song to feel larger than life and gives you a real sense of just how hard this song is going to hit when Sleeps can perform this live. It wouldn’t be a Sleeps album without a track like ‘NERVOUS’. The song is a more laid back track with a greater emphasis on the vocals than anything else. having the feature from Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro adds an extra layer to the vocals on display and he helps to add a bit of depth and charisma to the track. I loved the contrasting sections which interchanged from heavy and calming with ease.

Continuing down the album is ‘PYAI’ that serves as a prolonged instrumental opening for ‘KNOW YOUR WORTH (SOMEBODY)’ so I’ll talk about them as one. The song has a very predominant bassline from Aaran Mckenzie that holds the whole song together. An impactful vocal performance from Lawrence and Mat yet again helps to make this one stand out. Their harmonies work exceptionally together and helps to create the iconic Sleeps sound. It’s time for a heavy one in ‘NO DEFEAT FOR THE BRAVE’! I have to admit, Deryck Whibley’s feature added that extra kick this track needed. The Sum 41 singer’s vocals synergise extremely well with the high intensity of the track behind him. Not to mention that this song contains one of the coolest breakdowns I’ve heard on a Sleeps album.

Pianos and reverb fill ‘DIVISION STREET’. The vocals from Lawrence and Mat sound huge with the use of the echo and reverb which gives of the feeling of a choir singing this one to you. Sleeps love to experiment with these more melodic and soothing tracks and they have improved immensely from their first attempt at them. The change in style doesn’t break the flow of the record at all and despite the lack of guitars and drums, the song still packs one hell of a punch. It may not be every fan’s cup of tea however I personally really like how this one has turned out! Single number one and the title track of the record ‘SLEEPS SOCIETY’ has already made its way into fans hearts since it was released back in 2020. A very heavy-hitting anthem from the band captures the bands sound perfectly. It’s very clear to see why this was the first track released for this record as it’s one of the strongest. With elements from older While She Sleeps and their more modern approach to metalcore, the song has something for every type of fan to like. A top drawer track for sure!

Coming to the end of the album and the track ‘CALL OF THE VOID’ has one of the coolest features I’ve seen on a record. The band asked fans to send in audio of them singing the chorus of this track to create the Sleeps Society choir and the execution of it has been nailed. This track will forever be a big staple for fans of the band as they had a big impact on the final product. What a way to involve your fanbase in a project! The final track ‘DN3 3HT’ is more or less a thank you from the band to their fans. A piano backing track has messages from the band layered over the top with the members of While She Sleeps talking about what it means to them to be able to do what they do and thank everyone who has ever supported them along the way. It may not be a track that you’d listen to on regular rotation however, the meaning and sentiment behind it are truly touching and show’s just how important the Sleeps fanbase is to the guys in the band.

While She Sleeps have done it again and released another album that has broken the mould. The band continue to improve and have a knack for releasing songs that will be remembered for years to come. Their unique sound and their dedication to their fanbase adds a level of passion that isn’t seen in most bands in the metalcore genre. The only way is up for While She Sleeps.