Sleep Token are on course to score their first number one album on the UK and US charts with Even In Arcadia, out-selling Arcade Fire and Radiohead's Thom Yorke

Sleep Token lead singer Vessel in 2025 — (Image credit: Andy Ford)

Sleep Token look set to land their first number one album in the UK and US, with Even In Arcadia currently the biggest-selling new release on the mid-week charts in both territories.

The band's fourth album, their first record for major label RCA. has received positive reviews across the media landscape, with Metal Hammer noting, "It might divide longtime fans, but it will almost certainly expose metal to its biggest audience yet."

This sentiment appears to be borne out by early sales of the album, which was released last week, on May 9.

In the UK, the Official Charts Company reports that that sales of Even In Arcadia look set to out-strip sales of 2023's Take Me Back To Eden: Sleep Token are out-selling all their competitors this week, with PinkPantheress at number two with Fancy That, The Kooks currently at number three with Never/Know, and media darlings Arcade Fire currently at number five on the chart with Pink Elephant. Tall Tales, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's collaboration with electronic musician Mark Pritchard also looks set to debut in the Top 10.

In the US, Hits Daily reports that the enigmatic English metallers are at number one mid-week on the Billboard 200 chart, with Kali Uchis’ Sincerely expected to debut at number 2, and SZA's SOS retaining its number three spot on the chart.

Sleep Token are currently gracing the cover of Metal Hammer's 400th issue. In fact, they're gracing two covers, one representing House Veridian, and one House Feathered Host.

The cover story lays bare their secret origin story, via those who were there. From their first producer, to publicists and promoters, we discover what Vessel was really like, and how his vision developed.

“The starting point was removing this idea of the music you listen to being related to the person making it,” says George Lever, Sleep Token’s producer from 2016 to 2021. “By being anonymous, the listener is forced to relate to what they’re actually hearing.”

At first, people didn’t know what to make of this mysterious masked band, who defied categorisation.

“In its simplest terms, we described it as ‘Sam Smith meets Meshuggah’,” says Nathan Barley Philips, co-founder of Basick Records, which released Sleep Token’s first songs. “Those were the layman’s terms we used to describe it to people who might not get it. Believe me, there were people in those early days who didn’t!"

Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door!

Two pictures of Sleep Token frontman Vessel in his mask, one with a white background and one with a black background — (Image credit: Future)

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.