Damocles: A Jungian-Tarot Psychoanalysis of Sleep Token

Apr 27, 2025

Dive into a Jungian-tarot psychoanalysis of Sleep Token's latest single, exploring the complex interplay of fame, creativity, and identity. Unpack the emotional depth behind the minimalist arrangement, revealing a longing for simplicity in a chaotic success. Discover how the artist's duality and internal struggles relate to tarot archetypes and mythological themes. Throughout the discussion, examine the burdens of persona, the inner critic's voice, and the journey toward authenticity amidst the challenges of a capitalist art world.

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INSIGHT

Stripped-Down Music as Metaphor

The stripped-down arrangement of "Damocles" metaphorically reflects a longing for simplicity amid rising fame.
This musical choice mirrors the internal conflict of enjoying success yet craving grounding amid pressure.

ANECDOTE

Host's Music Journalism Roots

Shannon shares her background as a music journalist covering rock and metal bands for six years.
This episode represents a return to her roots and a blend of her therapist and music journalist worlds.

INSIGHT

Persona vs. True Self Tension

Sleep Token's anonymity intensifies the tension between their stage persona and true selves.
Over-identification with the persona creates psychological strain and risks identity collapse.

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This week on The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, I’m stepping back into my music-journalist roots (yes, I share a tidbit of my personal lore in this episode haha) and I’m leaning hard on my therapist brain to do something I’ve been dying to do: a Jungian-tarot psychoanalysis of Sleep Token’s new single, “Damocles.”

Beyond dissecting the song itself, this episode journeys into the artist’s mind and unpacks the relentless push to outdo one’s last creation, highlighting the unique ache of making art under capitalism.

In this episode, I look at how a seemingly stripped-down metal track can crack open huge psychological themes of coping with fame, creative and emotional burnout, cognitive dissonance, and the inevitable collapse of any persona. Drawing on Jung’s ideas of the Persona and Shadow, I unpack Vessel’s lyrics line by line, explore the myth of Damocles, and show how the song mirrors key tarot archetypes like The Tower, The Moon, Seven of Wands, and The Emperor (but specifically The Emperor from the Somnia Tarot with that anvil-over-the-throne vibe).

Along the way, you’ll hear:

Why the song’s minimal arrangement is a clever metaphor for longing to return to simplicity amid skyrocketing success
How anonymity and adoration create cognitive dissonance and create emotional whiplash
The inner critic’s cameo: “I know these chords are boring, but I can’t always be killing the game”
A tarot-infused reading of the lyrics that reveal a map from persona collapse to individuation and integration

Even if Sleep Token never hits your playlist, you’ll still love hearing a therapist psychoanalyze a song and weave its themes through universal tarot archetypes.

So grab your deck, hit play on “Damocles,” and join me for a deep dive where metal meets myth and tarot meets therapy.

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Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

Music by Timmoor from Pixabay