• 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

More Songfacts:

DreamsFleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac were going through various internecine romantic tribulations while recording their Rumours album. The song "Dreams" was written by Stevie Nicks with the line "Players only love you when they're playing" directed at their guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham.

DowntownPetula Clark

When Petula Clark reached #1 in the US with "Downtown" in 1965, she became the first female singer from England to hit #1 in the US during the Rock Era (after 1955).

What's Up4 Non Blondes

"What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes has endured as one of the most popular songs of the '90s, but it wasn't a huge hit at the time and the band split after one album. Frontwoman Linda Perry went on to write hits for Pink and Christina Aguilera.

Hey Soul SisterTrain

Train's guitarist had to Google an instructional video to learn how to play the ukulele for "Hey Soul Sister."

Hey MamaDavid Guetta

The bedrock of David Guetta's Nicki Minaj-featuring single "Hey Mama" is a sample of "Rosie," a 1940s prison recording from folk archivist Alan Lomax that songwriter Esther Dean first showed the French DJ on YouTube.

Poker FaceLady Gaga

The "Mum-mum-mum-ma" hook on lady Gaga's "Poker Face" was sampled from Boney M's 1977 hit "Ma Baker."

Editor's Picks

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys - "Fisherman's Blues"They're Playing My Song

Armed with a childhood spent devouring books, Mike Scott's heart was stolen by the punk rock scene of 1977. Not surprisingly, he would go on to become the most literate of rockers.

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.