Sleep Token: Teeth of God

by Huenito (Illustrator), Fabi Marques (Colorist)

Behold,

‘Teeth of God’ - a brand new offering in the form of a graphic novel.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2014

Reviews

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bro was not kidding when he said, “Just two days since the mainframe went down—“

[Derek DeMars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given how passionate Sleep Token are about their aesthetic as a band, it's not surprising they'd venture into something like a graphic novel with excellent results on the art front. Where fans may be disappointed is that Teeth of God doesn't directly answer any questions about the lore of the band's personas themselves.

Instead, what we get here is an apocalyptic, cosmic horror story told only in stunning visuals (no dialogue whatsoever) across four chapters, each of which concludes with a cryptic note from a narrator figure. Some light is shed on the nature of the mysterious creatures featured in the visualizers for each of the tracks on the Take Me Back to Eden album, such as the reaper-like figure from the title track and the gun-toting colossus from The Summoning. These beasties show up for some of the comic's more action-heavy moments.

With Teeth of God retaining the band's penchant for being obtuse with their lore, it won't be the most accessible piece of work for casual audiences. But if you enjoy cosmic horror with fever-dreamy visuals (think Annihilation, Bloodborne, or Dead Space), you may find this experimental offering enjoyable.

[reyna ♡︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh the theories that are racing through my mind that was absolutely insane. worship.

[Morri · Rating 5 out of 5]

vessel absolutely needs to chill (10/10, please never chill mister vessel)

[Sammy Steventon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and cryptic with gorgeous illustrations. I loved this slice of cosmic horror. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t a Sleep Token fan or isn’t aware of at least some of the lore behind the band. Hoping for a follow up book in the future!

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In these final dimming days I know only the solace of a promised end. I have become the ultimate witness. I have been saddled with the heavy blessing of seeing the unraveling of everything and I can do nothing but wait for it to unravel me too. But I live still within this temple of untampered flesh and I will spend what blood still beats through it to barter one last time with the tangled threads of fate. If I must, I will march through the eye of death and meet it with eyes of my own.”

sleep token and your lore may I worship forever 🖤

[Ashley Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Directors handwriting was a little rough to read in some small parts or it would be a 5⭐️

[ryan :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

did i understand much of it? absolutely not ! but the art was gorgeous and cryptic

[Gigi ༓☾✧]

just the fact this exists is enough to keep me going😍😍

[Chasie⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in December & didn’t realize it was available to rate/review on here! It was really cool and interesting, I liked it! They’re my favorite band and this is a very fun concept, I hope they do another one in the future :)

[I finally get to see them in September!⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ]

[Marouko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra star because I love Sleep Token!

I admit this is not something I would pick up were I not a fan of the band’s music and lore. But I appreciated the art to its fullest and let the story sweep me away like that wave the Director describes at the end of episode 1. If you expect this to answer questions about the album lore, forget about it. The lack of text leaves it open to interpretation and the Director’s log is all you need to keep up with the story. Beautifully done!

SPOILERS AHEAD

It’s also really amazing to see the TMBTE creatures “coming to life” on paper, the runes, the tentacles and other themes from the albums and videos. “Diamonds in the trees” on the logo of those who went underground, the rune tattoo’s on the bodies of the blindfolded people…I was zooming in on every little art detail hungry to find more. The apotheotic high path to the moon reels in symbolism and caught me by surprise. “Ascensionism” beautifully done despite the horror. Had to think of the “Journey” videogame.

People online seem to be complaining about the cursive, but as a millennial, I had no problem with that. Once you figure out the Director’s handwriting (could it be Vessel himself who wrote this?!), you can make out everything with only little difficulty. And the fact that the handwriting changes at the end is a great way to tell the story. Again, that symbolism!

The size and quality of the book itself were a big disappointment upon arrival. I guess I expected something different for that price point, but that’s probably because I had to pay an astronomical amount to get it shipped to Europe. I don’t regret getting this piece of ST merch, but if you’re not a fan of cosmic/Lovecraftian horror, you might want to pass on this one.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a graphic novel with no dialogue I found the story gripping and eerie. It holds a mirror to human violence and is a beautiful work of art that reflects on the inevitability of our own demise.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

The few words that were in this graphic novel punched me in my face.

Going to listen to Emergence on repeat 🫡

Worship.

[Devin Willson · Rating 4 out of 5]

normalize bands publishing freaky cosmic horror graphic novels pls 🙏

[Nai | Libros con(té) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The lunar anomaly functions in accordance with laws of its own. It makes a mockery of science. Twisting nature into something grotesque and unrecognisable."

Teeth of God nos presenta un mundo post-apocalíptico donde una anomalía lunar fue afectando poco a poco todo el planeta. Las cosas se fueron transformando, mutando. Y no solo los seres vivientes, la anomalía afecta absolutamente todo.

Los seres no mueren, simplemente se modifican, evolucionando a otro tipo de ser con una estructura celular completamente distinta. Incluso las cosas abióticas modificadas pasan a ser sintientes, o al menos pueden desarrollar tejido para moverse y atacar.
Los pocos humanos que quedan se aislaron bajo tierra pero de vez en cuando salen a la superficie a hacer inspecciones y tratar de comprender un poco más el mundo que los rodea; de qué está hecho, con qué fin, cuál es el propósito de estas transformaciones y qué pasa cuando uno es expuesto a esta nueva atmósfera modificada y tóxica. Lo primero que aprendieron, a las malas, es que con solo mirar la luna, ya se ven afectados.

"The anomaly doesn't just want to consume all life. It wants to consume reality."

La historia se cuenta sin absolutamente nada de diálogo, solo con unas entradas de un diario de vez en cuando de parte del Director, sospecho que de la sociedad que queda reclusa bajo tierra. La paleta de colores y el estilo de ilustración me pareció hermoso y muy accurate a la banda.
La única queja que tengo es que la letrita del diario estaba complicada de entender al 100% jajaja, se veía hermosa, muy estéticamente linda pero tuve que hacer un gran esfuerzo físico para entender todas las palabras.

Este comic me hizo acordar mucho a Aniquilación (Jeff VanderMeer) y a Remina (Junji Ito), mientras que las ilustraciones me recordaban de vez en cuando a Stranger Things. Al fin y al cabo, no deja de ser una historia de terror cósmico con muhco body horror.
Independientemente de si uno sigue la banda o no, si sabe el lore detrás de Sleep Token o no, siento que es un muy buen comic de terror lovecraftiano, disfrutable para todo lector que disfrute de ese género.

Otro detallito que sí me hizo ruido es la aparición de ciertos personajes que el Director no menciona nunca en sus escrituras y que tampoco volvemos a ver. Tengo mi interpretación al respecto pero no sé si eso no vaya a hacerle ruido a varios lectores... como que se sientan como huecos en la trama o que deja más preguntas que respuestas.

"To gaze upon the moon is to die..."

PD: amé que el perro/lobo mutante fuese adoptado, tenía un miedo que lo mataran ajajaja

[Tasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Pleasantly cryptic and mysterious plot. Illustrations were gorgeous. They invited the reader to linger on the panels to really take in the scene. Used horror elements tastefully. It also incorporated a lot of well known Sleep Token artwork, specifically from their TMBTE album. I loved that they gave some of the figures a name (The Reaver from The Summoning, The Drowned Lord from Chokehold, The God Mother from the title track, etc.) As the plot progressed, I liked how The Director slowly gets lost in the madness of the unknown. The ending was so ominous and bizarre, well known tenets of the band’s ethos.

Cons: mainly aesthetic. I could have gone without the chicken-scratch handwriting in The Director’s logs and letters. It made reading them more difficult than it needed to be. Thankfully, I had the screenplay companion book on hand. Which was also in a difficult reading font (I think it was Old English.) I also felt it was too short. I would have loved more information about the world they were in. Did they see the lunar anomaly coming or was an instant?

Overall, I thought it was a solid first effort of using this form of media to expand on the Sleep Token universe. Very interesting. Hope they make another one. (Don’t use Sumerian Comics next time, though. The rollout was an absolute disgrace.)

[kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

some whacky light reading for Sunday morning 🌄

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel has amazing art. I hope to find the correct timing and playlist to match it.
If you're a fan of Sleep Token and want to dive more into the lore, enjoy!

There are no words throughout the art and you can focus on what's happening. There are hand written pages from "the director" which may be difficult for some to read (as an elder millennial, I had no issues).

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I AM THE TEETH OF GOD I AM THE TEETH OF GOD I AM THE TEETH OF GOD I AM THE TEETH OF GOD

After 5 months of waiting, I finally got my hands on gorgeous cosmic horror (one of my favorite genres) c/o of my favorite band. Docking 1 star because the font used in the Director’s letters was absolutely heinous.

[lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

vessel you've got a huge brain and this had me mesmerised but a star has been deducted for near illegible handwriting

so much fun for fans of the band, probably not worth it for people who aren't into them, but that's to be expected. it was amazing to hear vessel's voice in the words on the page, and the art is stunning!!

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous, dark, very cryptic.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so sick.
The lore behind the band makes me love them so much more.

[Elle Suddaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worship 🖤

[Frank Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Guy who’s favorite game is Bloodborne**: “Getting a lot of Bloodborne vibes from this”

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art alone is phenomenal but I’m also a sucker for a (mostly) wordless graphic novel.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les dates sont fausses parce que je l’ai lu y’a longtemps mais il faut bien que le je rajoute vu le peu de livre que j’ai lu cette année 😭

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 1 out of 5]

"61 days since the lunar anomaly"

[Megaera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many theories now oh my god my boyfriend better pick up the phone to listen to them all

[peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cool medium to explore what could possibly be the fictional lore around Sleep Token, or just the cryptic ramblings of a masked man.

[Garrett Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic Apocalyptic tale that shows the collapse of a surviving group that will leave you on the edge of your seat until you end up closing the book. The one take away that is making me not give it a five star is the cursive writing in the journals of the book, it is very hard to read sometimes.