Sleep Token

Sleep Token Artistfacts

  • 2016-
    VesselVocals, guitar, keyboard, bass, production2016-
    IIDrums2016-
    IIIBass2016-
    IVGuitar2016-
  • Sleep Token is an English rock band formed in London in 2016. Their music ranges from piano ballads to heavy, aggressive breakdowns and even funk, as heard in the viral track "The Summoning."
  • The band members maintain anonymity by using pseudonyms. The frontman is known as Vessel, while the other members are referred to by Roman numerals: II (drums), III (bass), and IV (guitar). They perform in masks, robes, and dark makeup, and don't speak on stage, all contributing to their mysterious image.

    "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," they told Metal Hammer in a rare interview.
  • Vessel and II are regarded as the core, full members of Sleep Token because they both perform on the studio recordings and are credited as songwriters. III and IV are considered touring members and do not typically receive songwriting or studio recording credits.
  • The band's narrative centers around Vessel, who serves as a conduit for the deity Sleep. Each song is considered an offering to this entity, exploring themes of love, loss, and devotion.
  • Their first headline show, at St. Pancras Old Church in London in October 2018, sold out in just 30 seconds.
  • The single "Emergence" from their fourth album, Even in Arcadia, became Sleep Token's first to chart on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors Examined

Deconstructing Doors Songs With The Author Of The Doors ExaminedSong Writing

Doors expert Jim Cherry, author of The Doors Examined, talks about some of their defining songs and exposes some Jim Morrison myths.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."