Sleep Token’s ‘Even In Arcadia’ is Storming the Charts Despite Mixed Reactions

Last week, Sleep Token released their highly anticipated fourth studio album Even In Arcadia amid a ton of fanfare. And despite the mixed reaction from fans regarding singles like “Caramel” and “Damocles”, which saw the band experiment even more with their sound, it’s still managing to explode on the charts.

As it stands right now, the album will likely land atop the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, as well as the U.K. Official Charts, making it the band’s first number one release. This is despite the fact that its track list has divided longtime fans.

Still, Official Charts estimates that Even In Arcadia will outsell all other challengers, including PinkPantheress’ Fancy That, The Kooks’ Never/Know, and Arcade Fire’s Pink Elephant, among others.

Now, I don’t know about you, but no matter how many times I listen to it, this new Sleep Token record is pretty disappointing. And look, I’m all for bands experimenting with their sound and potentially exposing metal to a wider audience, but I just wish this record didn’t sound so… BBC Radio One.

I get that prog rock and metal are supposed to be progressive, but how could this be the band’s first ever number one album even though its 2023 predecessor Take Me Back to Eden was raw, innovative, wildly experimental, and swimming in murderous breakdowns? It offered way more depth and had the perfect balance of melancholy and mass destruction.

But I digress… Even in Arcadia could well be the record that finally gets Sleep Token a place at number one on both sides of the Atlantic. And though we can’t argue with the charts, the commercialized alt-pop soundscape on this record is probably the reason it’s storming its way to the top.