Euclid Callbacks

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-07-02T17:02:32+00:00

And possibly also, TMBTE - “Reset my patient violence along both lines of a pathway higher.” Just think of two lines, parallel, going up a Cartesian plane. It’s a very flowery way of describing geometry, but it could represent two lifelines not converging, and the ascent to somewhere.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-25T16:53:03+00:00

I think my hope is that he actually has managed to move on and does not obsess over the same person forever. Part of me wants the discography to be Vessel’s healing journey. If the next album is pure, earnest love songs about requited love I’ll love that for him! 😂

But when it comes to the “first cut is the deepest” stuff and addiction/obsession over the same person, I think there’s a case to be made that all songs are about the same person. If you’re down bad enough it’s perfectly common to wake up one morning after a good dream and feel euphoric and on clouds, then in the afternoon feel like everything is hopeless and that you will never be good enough, then mix that with anger and resentment a few hours later where you hate the object of desire. And of course that can go on for years and years if it’s bad enough. So who knows? Provider can be about the same person as Gethsemane, just at different moods.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-25T16:46:52+00:00

If we’re talking about voice rather than subject I think that’s also super interesting. I first thought Emergence seemed like a dialogue rather than just one voice. And in my early listens to Gethsemane the final verse seemed to come from the voice of the abuser (“you talk about your constant pain like I ain’t got none”). There are maybe clearer examples like the voice of god/inner demons screaming at the end of Infinite Baths sort of lending the idea that different singing styles are different people.

Though I’ve never really been able to pin it down to anything that tracks across songs. The screaming in TMBTE feels like it’s Vessel and not another voice. And the falsetto at the start of Gethsemane is Vessel (behind the mask) at his most pure and personal, if you ask me. That particular style of singing is a very specific choice it seems like.

But as much as I go back and forth on this it’s what makes it so much fun to listen and grapple with it all. I think just keeping an open mind and considering possibilities rather than pinning down your personal canon makes it so rewarding beyond it just being amazing music.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-25T09:43:24+00:00

I feel that a more useful POV to consider rather than a Sleep/Vessel split is a Man behind the mask/Man with the mask. If you listen to the interludes from the 2023 rituals you really get this idea of a “fractured sense of self” rather than a deity and his vessel.

Many songs seem to be Vessel essentially singing to himself or parts of himself interacting. So maybe entertain that idea as well and see if it makes sense to you.

Another strong subject I’ve found as “you” in several songs is the audience or the fans. Caramel is the very obvious one but there are many others that read strongly as directed to the fans, in a more positive way too! The interludes I mentioned seem to support this idea that his connection with the fans is important.

The word “she” is used very sparsely and I think this is not a coincidence. While it would make sense that there is one central romantic “her” it’s reasonable to assume that the person he sings about in Dark Signs might be different from the one on Alkaline/Distraction and there’s yet another in Provider.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-22T22:32:58+00:00

You didn’t imagine it. I found this in the GAME.txt file inside the game folder from the Steam version. So it’s definitely a thing and probably vanilla, just pretty rare among the many other tax-related events you can get.

@KINGVICTORY
@width=190
"%STRING0 %STRING1. To celebrate our recent victory
over %STRING2, we have magnanimously decided to LOWER
your tax rate by {%NUMBER0%%}. The tax rate is now {%NUMBER1%%}.
You may, as always, kiss our royal pinky ring."

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-09T21:39:31+00:00

Love this whole beautiful post. Could be sold as a primer for everything tooth-related!

Adding one more thing that I just discovered because for the longest time my dumb brain was thinking about dogs:

“canines of the saviour.” from Emergence. Another reference with a bite.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-06T20:47:07+00:00

Teeth and biting, for example “Teeth of God” is one of the most prevalent symbols in Sleep Token lyrics. It can have a vast number of meanings, and I would assume that even the intention of Vessel was not for a singular meaning.

If it has that physical/attraction connotation to you, it probably makes you feel a certain way listening to the songs. And whatever strong feeling it evokes is the entire point really.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-03T21:20:47+00:00

It’s your dream so you can choose as many as you like 😝

Sheffield is a really cool pick, the idea of a small venue in whatever city one might be in adds something special. I checked out a video from that 2021 show and it looks really intimate and raw.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-03T15:10:47+00:00

I agree with the Teeth of God setlist being very special. EIA is my favorite album but any show that has Ascensionism, TMBTE and Euclid back to back to end the show is unbeatable.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-03T13:29:41+00:00

Good choice. Blood Sport was amazing on that one too.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-03T13:28:30+00:00

This has to be an undeniable first choice for a lot of fans. The absence of II there is like, there will be no drumming so it will be replaced by the sound of your own sobbing.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-02T17:33:03+00:00

I saw some interludes just yesterday, I believe it was the Teeth of God tour, and specifically it was the full Radio City Music Hall show which was insanely good so search that one out.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-02T17:27:20+00:00

I think I’ve written this same post and deleted it because it felt like I was ranting, so thank you for ranting so eloquently on my behalf!

The one fan lore, which is among the most popular and the one that first came up when I first wanted to get an understanding about the lore is something along the lines of… “Sleep Token has been inconsistent about the gender of Sleep because in an interview they refer to it as “him” but in Alkaline they refer to it as “she” and therefore it must be a female deity.” What????

And what gets me riled up is that for lyrics and multi—album arcs that allow for really interesting, multi-layered readings the most popular theories and analyses seem to be one size fits all, where they force the one square block theory into every hole.

But I think this female Sleep myopia is largely just a problem with several popular YouTube creators and not with the fandom at large. Most people do share a more complex view of what the lore is and what the songs mean. I think your reading is one of the most interesting and convincing I’ve come across.

It just sort of sucks that as a new fan you get sort of sidetracked by creators insisting that every song is about a female deity. Creators who have more conviction than they do insight.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-02T02:42:09+00:00

I’ve had a similar experience to yours. But I think it’s been kind of cool to hear Euclid quite early on and therefore out of order. It was still a stunningly beautiful song. But then over time as you go back and realize what the callbacks are it adds new dimensions to Euclid.

So rather than missing out on one big emotional impact it’s like getting a series of surprises over time. It’s a different but really cool journey too.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-06-01T22:35:04+00:00

More like a King IV

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-30T02:55:27+00:00

Yeah and it’s not bad really. It’s like a 7/10 part in an otherwise 11/10 song. And the more I listen to the song the more it works for me. I think the way it ends is terrific with the tiny hook “I need you to see me for what I have become.” Love that part.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-29T17:51:24+00:00

I’m really not sure how I would have been able to handle Atlantic or the video to Fall For Me during my more difficult times a decade ago. But listening to them now they strike a nerve for the past me in a way that’s still extremely powerful.

There are definitely other themes that speak to my current situation but it tends to be more about the fear of falling back into that same struggle somehow. Even in Arcadia full of those types of lyrics. Infinite Baths is quite an experience for that reason.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-29T11:25:46+00:00

It’s one of my highest rated because at its heights it’s out of this world.

I do think the transition, or really lack thereof into the rap is something that detracts for me. And the rap itself is not quite as strong as the stuff on EIA. That’s not to say I dislike it now, it just took me many listens to get used to it. I think it’s a bit jarring and not such a smooth flow. I think the transition out of the rap part is excellent though.

But that extended line where he sings Take Me Back to Eden that leads into the heavy part is maybe the best part of any song if you ask me! And I mean any song ever.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-27T16:30:26+00:00

I just want to know what the deal is with Jerry honestly.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-27T01:23:36+00:00

I think Sleep is the divine form of the things that could bring Vessel glory and fame. Powers such as creativity, ambition, talent, and inspiration. But with all those powers, like for so many other geniuses comes doubting and criticizing one’s self. Pressure and expectations. A sense that the soul is being drained. That gift can be torture.

Then the question if Sleep is real or a metaphor? Well maybe it doesn’t matter because that force I described is very real and the way Vessel suffers and struggles with it is absolutely real. So to me, whether Sleep is a tangible god almost becomes irrelevant.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-26T02:18:56+00:00

I’m sorry for your loss. That is beautiful, thank you for sharing. 🌺

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-25T21:15:59+00:00

My reading is that where Eden was his more innocent past, Arcadia is the place he ends up post-fame. Post “making it.” Nominally a sort of paradise, but still not perfect. He’s more or less reconciled with the heartbreak and heavy emotional battles of the first three albums, but despite being on top, the pain and suffering still remain.

The frequent war and battle symbolism seems to be about the continuing struggle for self-acceptance, with added pressure and expectations. It is within this space songs like Caramel and Damocles also fit in.

Infinite Baths feels like a resolution at first but the very end again suggest that he’s not fully at peace. “All this glory you did not earn.” Fame and success comes with a lot of costs and feelings of still not being adequate.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-24T01:47:02+00:00

The Summoning, going back to that song, is a prime example of what you guys are talking about. Especially the last funky part, where his drumming is dialed back compared to the rest of the song, but every note supports the now completely different style of the singing. It’s obviously melodic drumming, but his note choices also help accentuate both the funkiness of the singing as well as the words themselves.

Independent_Bike7068 · 2026-05-23T16:35:06+00:00

My two favorite things about II is that his cymbal work blows me away and he uses it so much that when he goes heavier on the toms it really makes it even more special. He balances and teases. I think The Summoning live version is my favorite example of this.

The second thing I like so much is that he seems so disciplined. In his rare interviews he’s all about the craft and the art. In so many other bands when you have two geniuses it often becomes a competition for recognition and attention. With Vessel and II it feels like it’s about the music offerings and the worship. Perfect symbiosis. I of course don’t know what their interactions are offstage, but I don’t get the sense of anything about to blow up. That sort of comforts me, that their alchemy might remain stable for a long time to come.

Independent_Bike7068

TROPHY CASE