Sleep Token

Sleep Token are an English rock band formed in London in 2016. Its members remain anonymous by wearing masks. After self-releasing their debut EP ''One'' in 2016, the band signed with Basick Records and issued a follow-up EP, ''Two'', the next year. The group signed with Spinefarm Records and released their first full-length album ''Sundowning'' in 2019, which was followed in 2021 by '' This Place Will Become Your Tomb''. A third album, ''Take Me Back to Eden'', was released in May 2023. Their fourth album, '' Even in Arcadia'', was released in May 2025, through RCA Records.

History

2016–2019: Beginnings and early releases

Sleep Token debuted in September 2016 with the release of their first single, "Thread the Needle". The track was followed in December by the band's debut EP ''One'', which featured two additional songs plus alternative piano arrangements of all three tracks.

On February 28, 2017, they released a cover of "Hey Ya!", originally by OutKast.

In May 2017, it was announced that Sleep Token had signed with independent label Basick Records and would release their second EP ''Two'' in July. Ahead of the EP's release, the group issued two new singles — "Calcutta" in May and "Nazareth" in June. In the publication's exclusive premiere of "Calcutta", ''Metal Hammer'' writer Luke Morton described the song as "an odd and unique mix of technical metal and expansive indie soundscapes". Reviewing ''Two'' for ''Distorted Sound'', Matt Corcoran also noted the combination of elements from multiple genres, explaining, "Across these three spellbinding tracks the band fully delivers on their genre-blending promise, moving between light indie atmospherics and dark, Meshuggah-esque heaviness and covering most of the spectrum in between".

One of the earliest performances of the band was at O2 Academy Islington supporting Norwegian band Motorpsycho in October, and at Student Central supporting French synthwave artist Perturbator in December. During early 2018, they also supported Loathe alongside Holding Absence, played at festivals including Camden Rocks, and performed at Maida Vale Studios for the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show.

In June the band released the first in a string of standalone singles, "Jaws". In October, they released "The Way That You Were" and played their first headline (and eleventh overall) show at St Pancras Old Church, tickets for which reportedly sold out in 30 seconds. "Jaws" and "The Way That You Were" were later issued together on 10" vinyl for Record Store Day in 2021.

2019–2022: Signing to Spinefarm and first two albums

In June 2019, it was announced that Sleep Token had signed with Universal subsidiary Spinefarm Records. At the same time, the band's debut full-length album ''Sundowning'' was confirmed for a November release, with "The Night Does Not Belong to God" released as the first track from the record. The group continued issuing songs from the album every two weeks up to the release of the album. ''Sundowning'' received generally positive reviews from music critics – ''Kerrang!'' columnist Tom Shepherd gave the album a rating of four out of five, writing that it contains "moments here to truly savour, and ideas and experiences that feel unique", but noting that "the continuous nature of this dark mood entwined with the group's slow-burning, listless pace does begin to drag across ts50-minute runtime". Prior to the album's release, Sleep Token played two sold-out shows in London and Manchester; after its release, they embarked on their first North American tour supporting metalcore group Issues, alongside progressive rock band Polyphia, and rapper Lil Aaron.

After a short UK tour at the beginning of the year, several shows due to feature Sleep Token during 2020 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These included planned appearances at Knotfest Japan in March, Download Festival in June, and Madrid's Mad Cool in July. During the summer, the band released an expanded version of ''Sundowning'' with four new piano-based tracks collectively known as ''The Room Below'', which included cover versions of Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over" and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". The group were due to return to live performances in March 2021 with five socially-distanced shows called "The Isolation Rituals", however these were ultimately cancelled due to ongoing pandemic-related concerns. They eventually returned in the summer, headlining the second stage at the Download Festival Pilot on 18 June. The day before, the band announced their second album ''This Place Will Become Your Tomb'' and released a new single, "Alkaline".

"Alkaline" was followed in August and September by "The Love You Want" and "Fall for Me", respectively. ''This Place Will Become Your Tomb'' was released on 24 September 2021 and gave Sleep Token their first chart positions when it debuted at number 39 on the UK Albums Chart and number 13 on the Scottish Albums Chart.Peaks in Scotland:
* ''This Place Will Become Your Tomb'':
* ''Take Me Back to Eden'': The album was promoted on an eight-date headline tour of the UK and Ireland in November, with support from A.A. Williams. In January 2022, Sleep Token were featured as a cover artist for ''Metal Hammer'' magazine. More shows followed in the spring and summer – in April, frontman Vessel performed an "intimate" solo show (joined by only three backing vocalists) dubbed ''A Ritual from the Room Below''; in May, the group supported Architects alongside Malevolence on a short UK tour; and in the summer, they played several festivals including Download, as well as touring Australia with Northlane. Later dates followed in North America supporting In This Moment with Nothing More and Cherry Bombs.

2022–2024: ''Take Me Back to Eden''

Towards the end of 2022, Sleep Token announced a UK headline tour for January 2023 supported by Northlane, as well as an Australian tour for April/May. Ahead of a string of shows in Germany, the band released the single "Chokehold", their first new material since ''This Place Will Become Your Tomb'', on 5 January 2023. This was followed by "The Summoning" the next day, "Granite" two weeks later, and "Aqua Regia" the day after. All four tracks released since the start of 2023 were included on the band's third album, ''Take Me Back to Eden'', which was released in May 2023. ''Take Me Back to Eden'' marked a significant change in the band's creative process, as they stopped working with their long-time producer George Lever in favour of Carl Bown. Vessel also took on a co-producer role with Bown for the first time in the band's career.

In March 2023, Sleep Token were nominated for Best UK Artist at the Heavy Music Awards. The band were also booked to perform at that year's summer festivals, including Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, Wacken Open Air in Germany,
and Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK. The band attracted significant international attention when video footage of their 29 April 2023 performance of "Atlantic" in Sydney, Australia went viral due to an audience member's audible fart which was described in the media as "absolutely sinister" and "ferocious". In May 2023, Sleep Token won the Best UK Artist award at the Heavy Music Awards. In the same month, the band announced a standalone headline show at Wembley Arena in December 2023. The show sold out within 10 minutes of the tickets going on general sale. During the show, the band revealed new masks to indicate the band entering a "new era".

Following their success in 2023, Sleep Token received widespread acclaim from the music press. ''Metal Hammer'' readers voted ''Take Me Back to Eden'' as the best album of the year, while the magazine's writers ranked it fourth. ''Revolver'' also named it the best album of the year, as did ''Rock Sound'', which additionally recognized Sleep Token as the Best British Band of the Year. ''Kerrang!'' ranked the album third on its year-end list, while ''NME'' placed it 21st, and named "The Summoning" the 18th best song of the year. By February 2024, the album had sold over 50,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

On 14 February 2024, Sleep Token announced their signing with RCA Records.

The band continued to receive accolades in 2024. On 22 August, ''Take Me Back to Eden'' won Best Album at the Heavy Music Awards. Later that year, on 25 November, the ''Billboard'' Music Awards named Sleep Token a finalist for Top Hard Rock Album, an award they went on to win on 12 December.

2025–present: ''Even in Arcadia''

On 19 February 2025, the band released a TikTok video directing people to a website that teased new music. The website depicted the Shugborough inscription, which is associated with the painting Et in Arcadia ego ("Shepherds of Arcadia"), a hint to the title of the upcoming album. The website also allows users to choose a "house" (initially assigned via e-mail), and can choose between either House Veridian or The Feathered Host. On 27 February 2025, the band created two separate Instagram accounts for the respective houses to which sheet music was posted, hinting at another unreleased song.

On 13 March 2025, Sleep Token released a single, "Emergence", and announced that their fourth album '' Even in Arcadia'' is to be released on 9 May 2025. Within a week, the single landed on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after gaining more than 9.9 million plays in the United States and marking the first time the band landed on the U.S.-based chart. The band also announced their first ever U.S. arena headlining tour, set to commence in September 2025. On 4 April 2025, the band released the album's second single, "Caramel", which landed on place 34 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 1 week after its release. In the lead-up to the release, Sleep Token collaborated with North Carolina meteorologist Chris Michaels, known for incorporating metal references into his forecasts, to tease the track through a series of cryptic weather segments. On 25 April 2025, the album's third single, "Damocles", was released.

Artistry, identity and musical style

Since their formation, the members of Sleep Token have sought to remain anonymous. Rich Hobson of ''Metal Hammer'' explains that the members, who all wear masks and cloaks, "obscure their faces, they don't talk onstage, and they have only ever done one interview", with that very publication.

The lead singer and primary songwriter of the band is known by the moniker "Vessel". Vessel and II are the only members of the band who have been credited as performers on Sleep Token's studio albums. II is also the only member apart from Vessel who has been given songwriting credits. Touring members include III (bass guitar), IV (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Espera (backing vocal trio).

The group's focus on anonymity and visual style have been likened to similar practices employed by Ghost, Slipknot, and Gwar, though Vessel has rejected these comparisons, particularly to Ghost. Slipknot's frontman Corey Taylor has praised the band's image and artistry, comparing their approach to the one Slipknot took in the band's early days.

In 2017, Sleep Token's then-new label Basick Records published a description of the band which read, "A band that goes above and beyond simply writing and playing music, Sleep Token are said to be "the mortal representatives of the ancient deity known only as 'Sleep', led by the masked and cloaked figure appointed 'Vessel' ... the master creator behind the music." Since the band’s formation, only two interviews have ever been granted. The first, with ''Metal Hammer'' at the time of their signing with Basick, frontman Vessel expanded on the lore of the band, stating that "We are here to serve Sleep and project His message." When asked about Sleep, he stated that "He is everywhere, at all times. Vessel encountered Sleep in a dream, with promise of glory and magnificence if Vessel followed Him." The second, a video interview and playthrough with drummer II with YouTube channel Drumeo, talking about his earliest influences of nu-metal drummers Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Matthew McDonough of Mudvayne to incorporating elements of the United Kingdom’s electronic music and hip hop scenes, to his playing style with Sleep Token which he considers a blend of gospel music with that of Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham.

Musically, Sleep Token have been categorised in a wide range of genres, including alternative metal,Selected sources referring to Sleep Token as alternative metal:
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* post-rock/metal,Selected sources referring to Sleep Token as post-metal or ambient metal:
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* progressive metal,Selected sources referring to Sleep Token as progressive metal or "tech metal":
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* indie rock/pop,Selected sources referring to Sleep Token as indie pop:
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* and djent.Selected sources referring to Sleep Token as djent:
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Emma Wilkes, of ''Revolver'', noted elements of trap and jazz. According to Mary Varvaris of ''The Music'', " he band fuses heavy metal, electronica, hip-hop, and modern-day djent/progressive metal." Hobson has suggested that the band has a "fluid approach to genre", claiming that they incorporate "elements of everything from tech metal and alternative to pop and R&B". Similarly, John D. Buchanan of the website AllMusic has written that Sleep Token "combine post-rock, post-classical, and post-metal tropes with soulful indie pop vocals into a blend that sounds like nothing else". The band's label Spinefarm Records has simply stated that "in a world of form and genre, Sleep Token cannot be confined". The band have been vague about their influences, simply crediting "a plethora of artists" as inspiration; early in their career, though, they did name Leprous, Agent Fresco, Bon Iver and Meshuggah as influences. Commentators have also posited performers such as Deftones, Cult of Luna, Explosions in the Sky and Ólafur Arnalds as possible influences.

Members

*Vessel – lead vocals; studio guitars, keyboards, bass, production
*II – drums, percussion
*III – touring member; bass
*IV – touring member; guitars, backing vocals
*Espera – touring members; backing vocals

Discography

Studio albums
*''Sundowning'' (2019)
*'' This Place Will Become Your Tomb'' (2021)
*''Take Me Back to Eden'' (2023)
*'' Even in Arcadia'' (2025)

References

External links

Official website
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{{Sleep Token

2016 establishments in England
Musical groups established in 2016
British alternative metal musical groups
English progressive metal musical groups
English post-rock groups
Spinefarm Records artists
Bands with fictional stage personas
Masked musicians