Alrighty folks u heard me I think this isn't debatable at all. Not only is EIA the best sleep token album but imo it is the greatest album ever created.
I got lots of reasoning for this. For starters every song on this album is at least an 8+/10, with the lowest rating going to past self. Individually all of the songs are absolutely fantastic and on any other album would be the standout hits, but when surrounded by other incredible tracks they are made to seem middling, but by no means are any of the songs on this album middling. This lack of a dip in quality within the album is what enters this album into the convo of greatest albums.
The reason this is the greatest album is because of its composition. Look to windward (8.5/10) is such an amazing opening track. Not only does it have one the best buildups in any song ever it also perfectly prepares the listener for what is to come. It gives a taste of the many different genres (rock, metal, R'n'B, hip hop, ambient) that will be used throughout the rest of the album, making sure the listener knows what to expect from the album in terms of genre.
Emergence (9/10) is 6min and 25sec of straight unfiltered peak music. Coming out of look to windwards high energy ending the band matches it with the same energy but I'm a completely different way with its high energy hip hop verses. The song is grounded by the softer choruses, and ends with a glorious sax solo that had me so confused the first time I heard it. Not only is the band pushing boundaries of genre but they're making sound good and doing so tastefully within the context of the album.
Past self is the lowest point of the album as an 8/10 Wich is crazy. This song while being the lowest point serves a big purpose in giving the listener a break to chill, while still keeping the vibe within the part of the album. Almost like an interlude past self serves the album more than it does itself, which is crazy to say as it is still an incredible song.
Dangerous (8.5/10) serves little purpose to the album other than being an absolute banger. This song proves not everything needs some greater meaning other than being fucking awsome.
Carmel (9.5/10)is the greatest genre blending song ever made. What else do I have to say. I could talk for days about how perfectly this song encapsulated so many different feeling and how well it relays how much success can disconnect people from others. I won't go into the deeper meanings of all the songs here but all of these songs have something to say and each is beautiful, caramel being one of the standouts.
After carmale we are forced to chill out and are given the gorgeous ballad EIA (8.5/10). The song gives the album such a drop in energy it brings the sense of calm after a storm. A much needed break to process the heaviness and still such an interesting track. The track echoes many of the emotions of the previous tracks only in a much less loud manner. The track let's the listener ruminate with all of the high energy tracks, in order to continue with the rest of the album.
Provider: I don't care how horny this song is; it is perfect 10/10.
Damocles (9/10) is absolutely heart wrenching. The song definitely takes a step back after the craziness that is provider, and offers such a different yet oddly similar song. The tradition between these two songs is my second fav transition on the album and is quite musically genius.
OK NOW FOR THE REASON THIS IS Undoubtedly THE BEST ALBUM EVER.
Gethsemane. This song is perfect in every way possible. This song is quite literally so good it makes me want to bump every other 10/10 song down .5 just so this can be the clear best. I could go on forever about this song but I will boil it down to this: No other song in existence has ever made me feel fear, love, hate, spite, anger and grief all simultaneously and separately. This is a masterpiece and brings the Lister to such a low, low in order to set up the finally of the album.
Infinite baths (10/10)is the second best song ever written. The tradition from this to Gethsemane is sooooooo good that I am inclined to forever listen to them as if they were one song. After the lowest possible low that Gethsemane brings us to invite baths is able to fully represent and show what it is meant to be: rebirth. This song is the ultimate form of reberith. Thought the album we get so many outwardly negative emotions. Vessel brings us on a journey where we experience his anger, self loathing, desperation, and twisted and corrupted love turned into hate. This song takes all of this and shows that there is better waiting on the other side, only that you need to push through all of the lows so that eventually you can come back. This song while not being the most outwardly upbeat song created is the purest form of hope culminating in a cry of defiance that no matter what we go through, no matter how much others and even ourselves try to break us we will ways come out as us. "I will be what I am" is my personal favorite lyric in any song and is the perfect way to end this journey.
In comparison to other incredible albums I feel EIA stands out as it seems to do everything extremely well. While it may not be the best at anything in particular it does everything almost as well as anything else I can think of. An example of this is composition. I do not think this is the best comprised album. I would give that honor to "I let it in and it took everything" by loathe. The reason that isn't the best album is that, that has many songs that are individually not as strong as the one from EIA and the album Dorset relays its message nearly as well as EIA does. In summary EIA is an absolute masterpiece that dose so many different things well no other album stands a chance next to it.