My interpretation of this was always the initiation of Vessel becoming one or potentially being possessed? by Sleep. And he's experiencing a taste of the power, though do we know if he likes it or not? Does he even have a choice in the matter? I'm sure there's probably way more other interesting theories.
The way I take the acid or alkaline line is that there’s nothing to neutralize her or balance her out. Like how opposites attract and neutralize each other, she has no opposite.
I could be wrong, as I normally am, but I always took the chorus to suggest that whoever Vessel is referring to is emotionally neutral. As though there is no commitment in the relationship either way. Either to staying or leaving. Which could tie in to how the video starts and ends with the same image. Almost as though he is stuck in this ever repeating cycle. Much like the video for The Love You Want. I've also read a suggestion on another reaction video to this song that the video could represent Vessel giving himself over to Sleep and shutting down all those thoughts that warn of the dangers. These being represented by the characters in the Hazmat suits. As always Sleep Token leave a lot to personal interpretation. Stay safe 🤘 ✌️
😍my first ST song...forever love❤️ For me, these people in the clip are his thoughts that attack him and he defends his space from them. And it's not a spider, don't be afraid, it's a plant, the roots of a tree, I think😅
My theory here is probably way wrong, but I’ll put it out there. So, I think the video is a metaphorical look inside Vessel at the start of the relationship, and part of me thinks it’s connected to the video for The Love You Want. Both videos start how they end and both end in opposite ways. In Alkaline, Vessel fends off the hazmat guys. In TLYW, the dancers cause him to commit harakiri and he’s powerless to resist them. Alkaline (the song) is clearly about his infatuation with this person and the life-changing impact she made on him right away. TYLM (the song) is definitely from the end of a relationship. I see the dancers from TYLM and hazmat guys from Alkaline as different manifestations of thoughts, feelings, or even a mental illness like depression and his feelings of inadequacy (as pointed out in the Fall for Me video). The high of a new relationship makes him feel invincible against those feelings in Alkaline, and the loss of her at the end of the relationship in TYLM is so overwhelming that he succumbs to those feelings every day when he confronts them, no matter how hard he tries to fight back. Like I said, I’m probably off my rocker on this one and Vessel is just a big fan of The Matrix and wanted to make a cool video. Imagine if he’s just trolling us all into overthinking everything with this stuff. Anyway, that’s just my likely-incorrect interpretation.
Referring to me comment in “Fall For Me”. The hazmat people are a metaphor for the red flags when he first met his partner. The “powers” are the power of the mind and how he can waive off red flags he sees because she is “the object of his desire”. Basically horny man does what horny man wants.
Didn’t leave a detailed comment on “Fall For Me” because the tear you shed says it all. It’s a beautiful song about a tragic event. I’ll definitely react to this one though as it has a really cool video and is another (are any of their songs bad?) great song. Doing timestamps this time for parts that impacted me in one way or another. 2:08 Vessel is a master lyricist. Your ooh’s and aah’s were the perfect reaction 😂 The lyrics and the lore are so creative, and his use of metaphors rival some of the great hip hop artists of all time. It’s interesting to see him draw from chemistry, astrology, mythology, and all the various places to put together his story. Crazy stuff! 2:21 hahahaha “Wtf was that!” 😂 3:07 LMAO the “gross” when the spider shadow showed up was hilarious to me. I’ve got arachnophobia so I reacted in much the same way haha! 3:49 The Matrix was/is one of my favorite movies so I’m glad the Neo reference wasn’t missed 4:06 haha! Seriously tho wtf was that… I’m honestly unsure how the video has anything to do with the lyrics. Seems to me like a standard music video, but… Sleep Token doesn’t seem the type to settle for a “standard” anything so I have no fucking idea 🤷🏻♂️ 8:32 the quote then.. 8:41 the face made me laugh so loud my wife looked at me like I had two heads 9:10 Same dude. Same. Fuck spiders As always great reaction. Can’t wait for the next!
Your little screams to the spider monster thing got me gud 🤣 Your passion for both the music and lyrics are contagious. Ty for continuing to do these for us 🫶
Loved this video... totally wicked. You made me crack up at 4:08 when you squealed😂😂 after the spider? I think grabbed the man really fast and pulled him out of the room 😂😂😂...your reaction was priceless. Not sure how the video relates to the lyrics, but it was cool nonetheless. The lines "either born in Hell or Heaven sent, either way I'm into it" makes me think he truly doesn't care from where she came because she had altered his genetic makeup. Maybe that's what he's portraying in the video, he is not normal anymore, he can use his mind and hands to carry out his wishes. I think he definitely saw the hazmat men as a threat (yeah, the guns probably gave it away 😂) and he was able to stop them before they could mess with him. Idk, hard to say for sure. But as usual, great reaction. 👍 ❤ Worship ❤
He's going through all of them iirc not sure if chronologically in the album or if by release date since he just did Fall For Me which i thought was just a single.
My take is that the video does not relate to the song or the greater story at all. This video came out right before the video for "the love you want." Thie video makes vessel seem like some otherworldy powerful entity that cant be stopped. If you look at "the love you want" as a continuation of this video and also as a symbolic reference to his struggle with his relationship to her, he still gets defeated by it really easily, despite being this godly powerful figure. The old Dragonball Z trick. "Make character look super OP and then introduce new character that makes him look like nothing."
I honestly don't have the slightest clue as to how the video connects to the song ^^ I enjoy it immensely nontheless, it is very cinematographic and intringuing. The first "proper" video I watched from them and still my favourite
Maybe she's being/ acting indifferent to him. Indifferent meaning neutral (not acid nor alkaline). And he can't stand it. He wants her to show him something, anything.
Regarding the meaning of the video, I think you said it yourself. It's about anomalies. Vessel is surrounded by abnormal things (ie. His abnormal obsessive thoughts about this girl). And external world (family and friends) is trying to intervene to cure this very dangerous ailment (hence hazmat suits). But again as you said, the abnormalities are too strong and the external world is powerless.
I wish I liked Alkaline more. The instrumentals are fantastic, but the vocals leave something to be desired for me. One of the few songs I just don't love.
