In 2010, While She Sleeps burst into British metalcore as a brash alternative to where the scene was heading. At the same time that Bring Me The Horizon and Bullet For My Valentine were scrubbing themselves up, eyeing arena-level acclaim, the Sheffield rabble represented a raw rebellion. Less mega-polished Killswitch Engage, more snot-nosed punks worshipping Converge and Thrice.
Almost 14 years later, Sleeps’ dedication to individuality has turned them from a fringe option to key players in UK metal. They’ve sold out London’s Alexandra Palace and added electronics and melodicism to their arsenal, yet never sacrificed the blunt energy of their origins. With sixth album Self Hell looming on the horizon, Hammer’s ranked every release the Northerners have stamped their logo onto, from the good to the magnificent.
6. The North Stands For Nothing (2010)
Sleeps’ 2010 EP struck the UK scene like a nuclear bomb. As most others in the country’s metalcore landscape were glossing themselves up to try and court the mainstream, North… stormed in with an armada of 10-kiloton breakdowns, untempered screams and scurrying punk riffs.
The only reason these songs bottom out this list is that what came in the aftermath saw Sleeps tighten the screw. On This Is The Six and especially Brainwashed, the band solidified their attack into something much more focussed and anthemic – but no less lethal.
5. So What? (2019)
With hits like Silence Speaks, Sleeps began to foresee bigger things on You Are We. The band then doubled down on their attempts to make the biggest songs possible for subsequent album So What?, pulling from pop and electronic music while reiterating their PMA-espousing lyrics.
Such bangers as The Guilty Party and the venomous Antisocial made the deal more than worthwhile. At the same time though, Good Grief’s sugary guitar tone and the child choirs of Set You Free forayed too far into the saccharine: an imbalance thankfully corrected come 2021’s Sleeps Society.
4. This Is The Six (2012)
The fact that Sleeps were sharing a metalcore space with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Rise To Remain belies just how fucking heavy This Is The Six is. The Sheffielders’ debut album is so committed to dishing out blunt-force trauma that the title track and Dead Behind The Eyes even threaten death metal levels of aggro.
Although later releases would boast more standout songs, as a blistering declaration of presence, this 12-track rager put critics, fans and even other bands on notice when it came out.
3. You Are We (2017)
While touring Braindead, Sleeps started cramming bigger and bigger rooms and were routinely blowing whoever went on after them off the stage. The band then accompanied that growing momentum with more melodic songs, turning You Are We into a savage yet catchy masterclass.
The title track, Hurricane and, of course, career highlight Silence Speaks showed more starkly than ever that not only could Sleeps be a favourite of metalcore connoisseurs; they could cram arenas if they put their mind to it. (Spoiler alert: they put their mind to it.)
2. Brainwashed (2015)
A refinement of a refinement, Brainwashed is the last word, both literally and quality-wise, in Sleeps’ “unadulterated metalcore” era. Their second album is a powerhouse in making brute strength sound essential for 45 minutes, its scope stretching from the stampeding thrash of Your Evolution to Four Walls’ plummets between airy melodies and pure metal.
The Yorkshiremen opened for such titans as Bullet For My Valentine on the following tour, and their new songs’ dynamic yet primal energy made such “superstars” look like shuffling old men in comparison.
1. Sleeps Society (2021)
“If you can’t step up, step out of the way!” Loz Taylor snarls during Sleeps Society’s title track. A clearer announcement of this band’s confidence and clarity of vision as they made their fifth album you will not find.
Sleeps consolidated 11 years of gains in 2021. They cherry-picked the greatest triumphs of the eclectic So What?, then filtered them through the ferocious focus of their earlier albums. The result is a fearless, electrified statement of self-affirmation – both for the band (the title track literally welcomes anticipated new listeners to their fanbase) and their audience (relaying messages like You Are All You Need).
The 11 brutish and addictively infectious songs quickly achieved their goals of making Sleeps one of the UK metal bands. After show-stealing sets at the Download Pilot and Bloodstock 2021, they packed Ally Pally with 10,000 rapt onlookers. Welcome to the Sleeps Society indeed!
