Fans of the heavy metal subgenre known as metalcore have been abuzz lately over a newcomer to the scene. Hailing from the British Isles and donning masks to keep their faces a secret, their mystical yet bombastic fusion of progressive metal, hip hop, pop, and R&B has taken the world by storm and has garnered them a massive following, especially with their songs going viral on social media sites like TikTok. This is the anonymous metal band known as Sleep Token.
Sleep Token first formed in 2016 and is fronted by lead vocalist and pianist Vessel, supported by II, III, and IV, who play drums, bass, and guitar respectively. The band released their first two EPs, One and Two, in 2016 and 2017. The EPs established the template of their signature sound, a blend of progressive metal, indie pop, and djent (a subgenre of metal popularized by the band Meshuggah). Their sound was accompanied by an extensive lore detailing the relationship between Vessel and the ancient deity known as Sleep, with Vessel’s devotion to the god a focal point of their lyrics and lore. A series of singles followed their debut EPs, including a cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” before the band released their debut studio album, Sundowning, in 2019. The album features fan favorite songs such as “The Offering,” “Dark Signs,” and “Sugar.”
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced tours and festivals to be cancelled, the band resumed work on new material, releasing a deluxe edition of Sundowning in 2020. They then released their sophomore album, This Place Will Become Your Tomb, in 2021. Fan favorites from the album include “Hypnosis,” “Alkaline,” and “Atlantic,” songs that helped to build a smaller, yet devoted, fanbase online, further solidified by tours throughout the United States and Europe in 2021 and 2022. Throughout the first 6 years of their tenure, however, the band mostly remained an underground act, without much time in the spotlight. Come 2023, this would all change.
January 2023 would see the release of Sleep Token’s most well-known and most popular song: “The Summoning.” Released as part of the promotion for their third studio album, Take Me Back To Eden, the song went viral on the video-sharing platform TikTok, amassing millions of streams on Spotify, and opening the gates for many more to discover this band and their music. Take Me Back To Eden would be released in May of 2023 to almost universal acclaim, with many music outlets, including Billboard, naming this album one of the best, if not the best, rock album of the year. Indeed, the album was warmly received by fans both new and old. The band’s sound seemed refined, complete, and intricate, as exemplified in songs such as “Ascensionism,” “Chokehold” and “The Apparition.” It was the grand conclusion of a trilogy that began with 2019’s Sundowning.
Many big voices in the metal community, including veterans such as Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, spoke positively of Sleep Token’s sound, anonymity, and experimentalism. “I love the fact that nobody really knows who they are. I love the fact that they don’t want to be known,” Taylor spoke about the metal newcomers in an interview with Revolver Magazine. “It’s stuff like Sleep Token that gives me hope for the future.” Indeed, many positioned this band as the leader of the pack of new metalcore bands. They have often been compared to bands such as Bad Omens, Bring Me The Horizon, Spiritbox, and Loathe in their sound. However, others in the metal scene have panned Sleep Token as too divergent from heavy metal and metalcore, drawing negative comparisons to Hozier, Imagine Dragons, and Bastille. These criticisms, praises, and more would continue to stir as the band geared up for two years of touring in support of Take Me Back To Eden, after which they returned to the studio to record their most recent, and most divisive, album yet.
2025 marked the beginning of a new era for Sleep Token. In March, they released the single “Emergence,” taken from their forthcoming album, Even In Arcadia, to be released May 9th. Over the next two months, a widespread promotion campaign for the album ensued. In collaboration with a news meteorologist in North Carolina, their next single, “Caramel,” was promoted. This became their first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and left cryptic messaging to drum up anticipation for the album’s third single, “Damocles.” Even In Arcadia’s release in May brought the band yet more success; however, the reception proved to be slightly more divisive compared to their previous releases. Some called the album a well-put-together piece of work. Others had mixed feelings towards it. Detractors slammed it for being too poppy and not metal enough. Undeniably, the album has brought Sleep Token a great deal of success, once thought unimaginable.
Fresh off of a North American stadium tour that sold out in mere minutes, it is unknown what will come next for Sleep Token, or what will become of them as they face their success; however, fans, both new and old, patiently await whatever their next endeavor will be.
Works Cited:
Eaton, H. A. (2023, January 27). THE LORE OF: Sleep Token. Boolin Tunes. https://boolintunes.com/featured/the-lore-of-sleep-token/
Enis, E. (2023). COREY TAYLOR says SLEEP TOKEN remind him of early SLIPKNOT. Revolver. https://www.revolvermag.com/music/corey-taylor-says-sleep-token-remind-him-early-slipknot/
Michaels, C. (2025, April 2). WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels collaborates with band, Sleep Token, ahead of single release. WRAL.com; WRAL. https://www.wral.com/story/wral-meteorologist-chris-michaels-collaborates-with-band-sleep-token-ahead-of-single-release/21940624/
Wilkes, E. (2023). 20 greatest SLEEP TOKEN songs. Revolver. https://www.revolvermag.com/music/20-greatest-sleep-token-songs/
