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While pop and hip-hop music may be at the forefront of pop culture as far as popularity is concerned, it is foolish to ignore the incredible pull that the rock and metal genres as a whole provide. Anyone who has been to a metal concert can vouch that the energy experienced during those sets is unlike any other, and the music has the propensity to make listeners experience a wide array of emotions.
Metal typically gets a bad rep as aggressive or angry sounding, which does hold some truth, but lyrically speaking there is beauty and pain there that the collective can all experience together. Whether it’s in the form of moshing during super heavy songs or simply swaying to the slower songs (which, yes, metal does actually have), it all adds to the incredible experience of seeing a band perform live.
Enter Sleep Token, a band who, while masked up like the likes of Slipknot and others in the genre, have a sound all their own. Each song is different yet somehow uniquely them, and does an excellent job of putting the listeners right in their feelings, with themes of love lost, longing for a time when things were better, and even the internal violence and aggression someone can experience after going through a traumatic event.
Sleep Token Has Some Unique Lore Behind Them
Part of the lure of Sleep Token that sets them apart from most other mainstream metal bands is the lore that has been cultivated with the creation of the project. Sleep Token first broke onto the scene in 2016 with the release of their first single Thread the Needle off their One EP.
The video is certainly full of what can be considered occult imagery and is one of the first times we get a good look at the band’s lead singer Vessel. The black and white video shows Vessel performing what appears to be a candle-lit ritual by moonlight while wearing a black cloak and the first iteration of his now infamous mask.
While small to start, Sleep Token immediately began to build a following of fans called Worshipers, and curiosity started to build around what exactly this band is about. Leading up to the release of their Two EP, Vessel did the only interview he has ever done in the band’s career to further explain the inspiration for the project and who the deity Sleep truly is.
When asked for the story behind the band, Vessel simply responds with “How we got here is as irrelevant as who we are- what matters is the music and the message. We are here to serve Sleep and project His message.” He follows this up with a brief explanation of who Sleep is and just why such a deity would pick the UK as its territory.
“[Sleep] is everywhere, at all times,” Vessel responds. “Vessel encountered Sleep in a dream, with the promise of glory and magnificence if Vessel followed Him. The UK is old, centuries of lore lay buried here. This land has power, if only you knew how to use it.” Pieces of Sleep and its lore can be found all over the music and any art tied to the band.
More specifically, the art created by Daniel Owen of Nemesis Design during the band’s Tomb era is known to have hidden puzzles and pieces of the band’s lore hidden within it, with the most recent artist Alex Tillbrook carrying on that legacy. Even YouTube channels dedicated to the band’s puzzles and lore, like that of Sleep Token Luke, are now an integral part of the Sleep Token fandom.
Their Core Fan Base Has Helped Them Grow Exponentially
Following the release of their Two EP, several performances as supporting acts for bands like Loathe and Holding Absence, and appearances at some festivals in the UK, Sleep Token held what they called their inaugural show in October 2018 at the St. Pancras Old Church. It’s reported that tickets for the event sold out within 30 seconds of availability.
Slowly but surely the Worshipers following the group were growing and began to find one another through various online platforms like Facebook and Reddit, with the Sleep Token Discord server popping up in 2018. Since its conception, the server has exploded alongside the band’s popularity and has grown to house well over 3,500 of the band’s most dedicated Worshipers.
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Continuing their rapid expansion in the scene, Sleep Token was signed to Spinefarm Records in 2019, officially tying them to Universal as a major record label. The band has since released two full-length albums under Spinefarm, Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb, with the latter once again helping them gain an even bigger following.
Reaction channels on YouTube like that of METALBIRB, Chase Carneson, and bogdan hxc, all now members of the discord server, began to take note of Sleep Token, often praising them for Vessel’s incredible vocal ability, the drummer’s insane skills, and the overall sound and direction the band has chosen for themselves.
Artists on Instagram like Xenryiem, Sabrina Lara (binhailustra), and Ares (arescase) began to use the bands’ likenesses for inspiration, and have even had some of the band members repost their pieces to their own Instagram stories to share with the rest of the world.
And the mainstream world is finally starting to catch on to Sleep Token as well, with none other than Demi Lovato (who has arguably taken a turn with a recent controversial album release herself) taking note of the band and posting one of their newest singles The Summoning on their Instagram story, giving the band a huge amount of exposure to a new group of people that likely did not know who they were.
And while not all metal bands can partner with more mainstream artists (Slipknot fans were not happy about the band’s collab with Machine Gun Kelly), Sleep Token seems to have a wider appeal.
Who Are The Members Of Sleep Token?
It is common knowledge among the fan base that the identities of the band members are not to be talked about. If you know who they are, then you know, and you keep it to yourself. If you don’t know, out of respect for the band, you don’t try and find out.
Vessel said it best in his only interview, “Our identities are unimportant. Music is marketed on who is or isn’t in a band; it’s pushed, prodded and molded into something it isn’t. Vessel endeavors to keep the focus on His offerings.” This is a sentiment that many fans echo, including Scarlett Heselwood, aka Sundowner.
“Identities behind the mass mean absolutely nothing to me and are irrelevant. Their anonymity is sacred.” So, what exactly is known about this enigmatic band?
Well, Sleep Token is a four-piece band that often features three background vocalists as part of their set. Their vocalist, as mentioned before, is normally referred to as Vessel, but has many nicknames like V-man, Vessy, V-Dawg, and V-sauce among the fan base.
The remaining band members are simply referred to as II, III, and IV, but have also gained some nicknames for their personalities on stage. II is the band’s drummer and is typically called Absolute Unit or even Legend because of his incredible skills on the kit, both during live shows and on the recordings for the albums.
Perhaps the sassiest of the band members is III, or their bassist, who always puts on a show with his hilariously unique moves on the stage. III is lovingly referred to as Bassy or Bassy Boi and seems to depict the funnier and more lighthearted side of the band, often getting particularly affectionate with Vessel and the group’s guitarist, IV.
IV has allegedly been at least three different guitarists but has earned the name Spinney Kicky Boy, Beyblade, and Strummy Boy. So while the true identities of the boys of Sleep Token remain unknown, their personalities on stage, the music they make, and how they present themselves tell everyone exactly what they need to know.
