Written by Hey! You! Ever wondered what globe-conquering smooth-core icons Sleep Token would sound like without frontman Vessel crooning over the top of their irresistible, genre-blending songs? Wonder no more! The masked metal sensations have released a brand new version of last year’s record-breaking fourth studio album, Even In Arcadia, and this one’s entirely instrumental.
Described as a “new immersive experience” by the band’s spokespeople, the entirely Vessel-less Even In Arcadia arrives just a day shy of one year after the original. The album was a landmark release for Sleep Token, topping charts around the world including in the UK and the US, marking their first ever number ones in either country.
It was also nominated for two Grammy awards – Best Metal Performance for the track Emergence and Best Rock Song for standout single Caramel – and set numerous records, selling the most vinyl copies in a single week of any rock album in modern history and earning the highest number of single week streams for any rock record ever.
It sparked a huge year for the collective, arguably culminating in a historic first headline set at Download Festival 2025. The band – who have remained anonymous since they first burst out of the UK underground in the late 2010s – currently have no other activity planned, with no tour dates booked for 2026.
Listen to the instrumental version of Even In Arcadia below. In her review of the original for Metal Hammer, Holly Wright suggested that the album “might divide longtime fans, but it will almost certainly expose metal to its biggest audience yet.” She added: “You don’t have to like Sleep Token. You don’t even have to understand them. But at this point, ignoring them is no longer an option.”
