10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Songs Of 2018
4. Sleep Token – “Jaws”
2018 has been Sleep Token’s year. The mysterious troupe have gone from strength to strength, performing at Download Festival over the summer before playing their first ever headline show in September – which sold out in just thirty seconds.
Yes, really.
Cynics will say that their quick success is down to their masked appearances and gimmick as a shady cult that worships the deity of “Sleep”. But then you will listen to something like “Jaws” and all of that scepticism dissipates like steam.
Sleep Token’s first stand-alone single since their two lauded EPs – ingeniously entitled One and Two – “Jaws” is a masterful balance of alternative pop and progressive metal. The six-minute magnum opus starts off simple, with repeating percussion work leading into a minimalist piano and the sombre vocals of frontman Vessel. The track gradually builds as the drums groove harder and the keys get more complex, finally adding the metal with down-tuned, “djent”-esque guitar chords. The choruses become more intense and powerful, with added layers of backing singing, but Vessel’s clean make for a consistently melodic hook.
By the time “Jaws” ends, you’ve been on a complete journey from calm soul to roaring rock and back again.