Vessel never gives interviews – apart from that one time he did. In 2017, Metal Hammer sat down with Sleep Token’s masked, anonymous frontman for what would become the only conversation he ever had with music press. He spoke to us about the band’s facelessness, influences and the mysterious deity known as “Sleep” – but, to be honest, we emerged from the chat with just as many questions as we had going into it.
The issue of Hammer that Vessel was interviewed for was our blockbuster 90s Issue. The likes of Limp Bizkit, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Sepultura and a short-haired James Hetfield were on the cover. So, as well as trying to unravel the mystery of Sleep Token, we asked their nameless frontman what his favourite 90s album is.
He answered: “My favourite 90s album is Fantastic Planet by Failure. It’s devastatingly bleak in a way that resonates into our deepest self.”
For those who don’t know, Failure are an extraordinarily underrated alt-rock act from Los Angeles, who started in 1990. The band’s first album, Comfort (1992), was produced by the legendary Steve Albini and its 1994 follow-up, Magnified, was a critical smash that helped earn the trio a major record deal with Warner. They also toured with Tool many, many times.
As adored as Failure were by people “in the know”, that appeal sadly didn’t extend to the mainstream. Fantastic Planet was released by Warner in August 1996 and only reached number 23 on the US Alt Rock chart. This is in spite of the album’s 14 songs and three segues ingeniously mixing the moody grunge of Nirvana with some ambitious space rock scope. The band split just a year after the release, quickly turning Fantastic Planet into a hidden gem of 90s angst.
Failure reunited in 2014 and have released three albums since, though none of them have quite touched the emotion and grit they conveyed in 1996. Sleep Token released their first songs two years later and, in a very short span of time, have become one of the most discussed bands in the world. The band will headline a European tour in November and December, which includes two stops at the famed O2 Arena in London. See details below.
Sleep Token 2024 European tour dates:
Nov 05: Zurich Halle 622
Nov 07: Lyon LDLC Arena
Nov 09: Nuremberg Nürnberg Arena
Nov 10: Frankfurt Festhalle
Nov 12: Linz Tipsarena (ehem. Intersport Arena)
Nov 13: Budapest MVM Dome
Nov 15: Prague O2 universum
Nov 16: Chemnitz Arena / Messe, Halle 1
Nov 18: Amsterdam AFAS Live
Nov 19: Brussels Forest National
Nov 21: Hamburg Barclays Arena
Nov 22: Berlin Velodrom
Nov 25: Glasgow OVO Hydro
Nov 26: Manchester Co-op Live
Nov 28: Birmingham Utilita Arena
Nov 29: London The O2
Nov 30: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Dec 02: Leeds First Direct Arena
Dec 03: London The O2
