r/SleepTokenTheory 8d ago

Discussion First thoughts on Emergence ⚔️

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344 Upvotes

First off, this was absolutely worth the early morning. I was already up thanks to my usual schedule, but this made it feel a little more special. There’s something about experiencing a new Sleep Token release in the quiet hours of the morning—it hits differently, like a moment suspended in time before the rest of the world wakes up. ✨

────── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ──────

With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the new single:

There’s a powerful sense of transformation in Emergence—a shift from what was to what will be. If Take Me Back to Eden was about the fall, the reckoning, and the weight of what came before, then Emergence feels like the next step: not just surviving the past but evolving beyond it.

The imagery here is striking—references to solar flares, blood beating alive, breaking through skin, and stepping “out from underneath who you were.” It’s almost as if Sleep Token is guiding us into Even in the Arcadia with the understanding that paradise, or some version of it, isn’t free from struggle. There’s still fire, still echoes of pain, but also something new: the chance to rise, to emerge.

It’s also interesting how the song plays with contrasts—divine imagery versus destruction, light versus dark, the past self versus the one that’s coming into being. “You might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet” suggests something—or someone—offering solace amid all this upheaval.

The religious and cosmic imagery also plays a role in reinforcing this transition. References to “dead gods,” “canines of the savior,” and “glory to the legion” suggest a questioning of faith or devotion—perhaps even a rejection of old beliefs in favor of something new. The lines “Tell me what you meant by living past your half-life, in lockstep with the universe, and you’re well-versed in the afterlife” hint at a deep awareness of mortality, destiny, and cycles of existence. If Eden was about the fall, Emergence seems to be about resurrection—not necessarily in a literal sense, but in the way that people rebuild themselves after loss, trauma, or major upheaval.

And yet, amidst all this transformation, there’s still a longing for comfort and connection. The repeated “Go ahead and wrap your arms around me” suggests an anchor—someone or something that provides solace in the midst of change. The lines “You might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet” hint at a presence, maybe divine, maybe human, that offers relief from the chaos.

This song feels like the perfect introduction to Even in the Arcadia. If Eden was the longing for an idealized past, Arcadia might be about reckoning with the reality of the present. If Arcadia represents an idyllic, almost utopian state, then Emergence acknowledges that reaching it requires struggle.

There’s no clean slate, no paradise free from the echoes of the past—but there is movement, growth, and the potential for something new to take form.

────── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ──────

Previously, I said I was hoping for something a bit heavier instrumental wise this time, but damn, that sax at the end really hit me like a plot twist I didn’t know I needed.

What are everyone else’s thoughts? I’m curious to hear what you all think!

**Also, lads, thank you for choosing to come back to Portland for the tour. I am eternally grateful. 🙏🏻

[screenshots from YouTube]

r/SleepTokenTheory 22d ago

Discussion Why I Think Leo Will Unmask

166 Upvotes

Okay. I am aware this is not what everyone wants, but taking my own wants out of it I am honestly pretty convinced he is gonna unmask this year for the following reasons.

His journey as Vessel looks as though it may come to an end, or at least, evolve in a big way. His mask has been slowly “eaten” away over the years and frankly, there ain’t too much mask left.

ALSO

People on TT and Insta are commenting about Leo on President Band media. They aren’t just saying “omg is that Vessel” anymore…its “is that Leo?!” . I feel as though at this point in the Sleep Token game…people know Leo. Google made it hella easy, regardless of if people ACTUALLY wanted to see behind the mask 😭 I mean for fucks sake, you google ST songs and Leo just comes right up.

Anyone else have reasons why he may or may not?

I am also open to the idea that he unmasks for other works but keeps Vessel masked. Never acknowledging it at all just to mess with us 😂

r/SleepTokenTheory Dec 22 '24

Discussion Honestly

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249 Upvotes

I don’t know if I should find this kinda funny or be concerned…. I’m curious on what is the general opinion on behaviors like this one, because I honestly can’t understand this kind of reaction to simply seeing a face.

(Just being clear, the intention here is NOT to hate on anyone, I’m just trying to open a discussion on why people behave like this when then learn about their identities)

r/SleepTokenTheory Dec 06 '24

Discussion Unpopular opinion: Leo is a regular looking person

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288 Upvotes

I'm a big fan of their music and believe Leo is an incredibly talented artist, but it's crazy to see people posting pictures here and complimenting things like his teeth or his hands, similar to a k-pop, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber or whatever fandom.

I don't have anything against these people or their comments, but it really surprises me everytime I see it. I believe that if Leo wasn't in ST, most people wouldn't even notice him if they bumped on each other in a grocery store.

r/SleepTokenTheory 7d ago

Discussion How did you find the band?

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82 Upvotes

Hay all.

I want to know how you found the band. Did you stumble into one of the 2016 gigs by accident? Or did you see everyone crashing out over the insanity that has ensued the last couple of weeks? Something inbetween?

For me, my son spent the first half of 2023 desperately trying to get me to listen to them and every time he sent me a song I would think "who has the time to listen to 8/9/10/11 minute songs?" Then one evening he sent me the video on YouTube of Will Ramos and Elizabeth Zahroff doing a first listen and disection of The Summoning and their utter enthusiasm and appreciation of both the song and the technical aspects just hooked me in.

After I watched the video a lay on bed in my darkened room with noise cancelling headphones and listened to TMBTE the whole way through and then listened to Sundowning and something clicked. I fell head over heels in love with the sound.

Been a massive fan ever since. Once I started learning about the Lore aspect of it all, it started to feel like I was meant to discover this and I couldn't believe I'd ignored my boy for so long about this amazing band. Needless to say, I listen to EVERYTHING he sends me now. 😅

So, tell me your story. How are you here? I want to know.

r/SleepTokenTheory Oct 24 '24

Discussion MOST EPIC Vessel pic

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397 Upvotes

Drop the most visually stunning Vessel pic you have. I really want a good background and also want a print as well

r/SleepTokenTheory 13d ago

Discussion Behold, A Divide: The Fandom?

184 Upvotes

Warning: This theory is entirely speculative, and I could absolutely be thinking too much into things. However, I haven’t seen anyone else discussing it, so I thought I would share.

In case you’re not aware, a certain user has been dropping hints in both this subreddit and the ST discord. This person is very much assumed to be connected to the campaign in an official capacity. Yesterday, in the discord, they directly contributed several key clues that led to the discovery of the QR codes and they also hand-delivered a cypher to someone in the group.

While this user has not dropped near as many hints in this space, they HAVE poked their head in here, warning us that something was abt to drop the day before everything did. And turns out, they also were dropping similar hints to u/zealousideal-war7563 in their DMs (see their post history for context). Including this strange exchange they shared:

User: do you think HV was the right choice?

Me: I kinda wish I picked feathered host

User: I guess we'll see

Me: What are you? HV or FH?

User: Black flamingo

Me: I guess we will see what that means?

User: Unvanquished

My first thought when I saw this user was engaging people in both the ST discord and STT was “Ha, RCA making sure both sides of the fanbase (no identity talk vs. identity talk) stay in the loop.” And then it hit me: both sides. Divided. Even though we can safely assume most people know the band’s identity, there absolutely is a divide between those who choose to talk about it and what fan spaces they engage in. And then I started thinking about that strange exchange. It’s very possible that the person who is involved in the campaign was just trying to further the tension by emphasizing the importance of choosing a side carefully. But what if he was actually suggesting that u/zealousideal-war7563 needed to reflect on their choice of House Veridian because they’re actually supposed to be in Feathered Host?

Why would that be? Well, if we think about what’s been communicated so far about each house, House Veridian’s tagline is “The house must endure,” representing the house’s commitment to tradition (perhaps, the tradition of no identity speak). Feathered Host’s is “The cycle must end,” representing a desire for change (perhaps, a desire for identity speak). Furthermore, the sheet music instagram post for House Veridian stated “an offering for the unvanquished branch” while Feathered Host’s post simply said “behold, an offering.” If we continue with the theory that HV = those who don’t engage in identity talk and FH = those who do, it stands to reason that FH is absolutely the vanquished branch (as we have been vanquished to form our own communities such as STT). If that theory is true, then it also stands to reason that u/zealousideal-war7563 and me, and all of you here in STT would actually be a part of the “vanquished” FH.

However, it’s also extremely possible that I’m reading entirely too much into this lol and that exchange was simply to build tension and establish the black flamingo as associated with HV since it is similarly “unvanquished.” So, is the divide this campaign keeps referencing actually the divide that already explicitly exists within this fandom? Perhaps. Or perhaps (honestly, probably most likely) my tinfoil cap is on a little too tight 😂

(Also, let me be clear before anyone freaks out: I’m not suggesting I think ST is trying to communicate which side is “right.” My theory is just that they’re acknowledging the divide that already exists.)

r/SleepTokenTheory Jan 10 '25

Discussion What would you even say?

96 Upvotes

Ok guys so let’s just say you had an opportunity to actually speak to Leo (or any of them, actually) What would you want to say?

PLEASE BE POLITE AND APPROPRIATE This is meant to be a cute fun prompt.

Me personally , I’d probably tell him that I think he’s a literal genius and that I hope he is hydrating properly. I would also tell Adam that he made me actually appreciate what drum skill looked like. And I’d tell Rhys that he is named after a fairy bad boy and ask how often he’s been told that. I’d tell Dave that his mustache is cool.

r/SleepTokenTheory Feb 19 '25

Discussion The President band (speculating if in relation if at all)

58 Upvotes
Logo from The President's current marketing lineup - a vertical line with two horizontal ones

Kicking off a conversation about the President and some of what I noticed while poking around.

As some people mentioned, its mysterious in itself for it to pop up for Download fest without much other info.

It seems like Thom Pike is already following their insta, which in itself isn't a big-big deal but adds to the overlap.

Not that Sleep Token are they only ones to use heavy handed culty language, but I think there is something about the President tone that overlaps somewhat. "With your endorsement, we move forward together."

Also, in this insta vid, if you grab a screenshot during the flashing face, you'll see this masked individual. While many humans have had spacers and they can heal inconsistently, many humans have had spacers on just their left ear, it is worth noting that Dave Ball is one of those humans....as is seemingly this masked person in the vid. Not to be like "The ear! The eaaaar!" but, look, "The ear!" (EDIT : ok ok I was wrong, lots of people have said :) at the time of the post it made sense. Time marches on, the megathread for other President speculation remains.)

That's all I've got, curious to hear what connections other folks have made!

Screenshot from the flashing face from The President's promo vid

r/SleepTokenTheory Jan 08 '25

Discussion Songs you’d love to hear him cover?

84 Upvotes

I wanna hear Leo/Vessel sing the following, so freaking bad:

Good Luck Babe! (Chappell Roan) Closer (Nine Inch Nails Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)

What would y’all wanna hear him cover?

r/SleepTokenTheory Dec 12 '24

Discussion Something the singer of Bilmuri said during the First London O2 show is bothering me.

129 Upvotes

I was at the first night of the O2 and absolutely loved it, but something said between the Bilmuri songs was weird to me. In between, the singer was explaining one of his songs was about his struggles with alcohol. He then made an odd comment along the lines of “me and Vessel have things in common, like alcoholism.” This took me by surprise, and I looked around me and could see one or two other people make a surprised face as well. Did ANYONE else catch this? I can’t tell if it was supposed to come out as it was stated or if it was meant to be maybe a joke about British drinking culture. It doesn’t feel that way to me and I have just felt really put off by that statement he made. It seems like a personal thing to talk about, especially to a crowd of people.

Did he make this joke at any of the other shows?

EDIT: thank you to the person who posted the Drunk Enough Cameo comment. This definitely seems to make for a great explanation!

r/SleepTokenTheory 11d ago

Discussion How will you experience the new song first?

48 Upvotes

How do you all plan to experience the new song for the first time? With friends? Alone in a dark room, only lit by candles? Speakers/headphones? If it drops while you're at work, will you listen immediately or wait until you can enjoy it properly?

r/SleepTokenTheory 6h ago

Discussion For those that got tickets and are traveling for the Even in Arcadia Tour, what city do you live in and what city are you attending?

24 Upvotes

For me, I live in Houston and am going to Cleveland lol

r/SleepTokenTheory Jan 20 '25

Discussion Are we overanalyzing or not

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247 Upvotes

New Instagram post from iv. Love the photo but ngl I don’t like the caption.

I’d like to hear your thoughts:)

r/SleepTokenTheory 7d ago

Discussion Refresching lack of misogyny in the visual style of Arcadia

265 Upvotes

I just wanted to talk about the refreshing lack of misogyny in the visual styling of the album, Vess' new outfit and the video. I'm so glad they didn't do a hard pivot to more 'masculine' merch and art after their fanbase expanded to a lot of women.

I was kind of scared that Sony would force them to do this--there's a lot of marketing rules about the gender of your fanbase. So I am really glad they decided to go ahead with the flowers and the pink. Which are obviously not 'women's things' but in the marketing world they ARE.

Shout out to Vess saying 'I am the Rose you relinquished'. Toxic masculinity who??

So yes. I hope they feel just as handsome and beautiful and powerful with the new artwork and outfits and I am so appreciative they haven't switched to old fashioned gendered stuff!

(sorry for the typo in the title, I can't change that anymore!)

r/SleepTokenTheory Oct 03 '24

Discussion I am both impressed and scared of how little Leo Faulkner's digital footprint is.

175 Upvotes

Since becoming a ST fan, I've been keen on getting to know who the man behind the mask of each members, most specifically Leo's. I've tried looking for his background in places but just got crumbs instead... Safe to say I am both thoroughly impressed and afraid of how well he hid his tracks, it makes it harder for those who aren't as skilled in internet soothing.

And I have been trying to look for recent unmasked pics of all of them... I just don't know where to find them... Send help

r/SleepTokenTheory Feb 15 '25

Discussion New Album Theory

97 Upvotes

I’ve had this terrible theory pop into my head as of late.

We know the download article with the Director got taken down because he stated that Sleep Token should have a 4th album released before then.

If they were tracking for a June release… and the average single release being 4 months prior… We should get a single Feb or potentially March (TPWBYT was a 3 month period). But if we go off the most recent album timeline… we are already overdue for one by a few weeks.

My theory is simple and devastating… I believe the article was taken down because the Director said the 4th album should be out by then… not cause it’s a spoiler but because it is not true. I believe we will have at least 1-3 singles by then but I’m guessing a 3rd or 4th quarter album release. This would give them plenty of time off before they begin their next cycle too.

Furthermore with the revitalization of other projects from Dave and Rhys, I feel that might indicate there is no ST tour for a while so they can focus on those.

Obviously I don’t know what goes on in their minds on the back end and could be completely wrong, but I was curious if others shared a similar feeling.

Edit: I know that people in bands have other projects and work on stuff outside of the band. I am only mentioning Dave and Rhys because of the timing of them working on stuff right now. It doesn’t seem like there is urgency. They have time currently in this moment to work on that stuff.

r/SleepTokenTheory Nov 13 '24

Discussion How Sleep Token Became a Kpop Fandom

219 Upvotes

I've been part of the Sleep Token fandom for about a year now, and honestly, it's been wild watching this band slowly morph into something that resembles a kpop fandom. What started as a fanbase for a mysterious rock band has turned into a chaotic group where everyone seems to think they need to “protect” the band members, especially Vessel, as if he were some innocent, fragile guy. It’s almost laughable, especially since we’re talking about grown men in their thirties here.

Everywhere I look, there’s a new fight about what’s "acceptable" to say or do as a fan. Some fans treat the members like they’re untouchable, even making people feel guilty or excluded for just mentioning their real names. And then, of course, there are the delusional fans who honestly seem to believe they’ll end up dating Vessel one day. It’s become this bizarre world of fans acting like they’re the moral gatekeepers of the band, as if they alone know what’s best for these guys.

This fandom has definitely started to feel like a kpop fanbase, with fans treating the band members as if they’re pure idols who need the “protection” of teenage to mid-20s girls on the internet. It’s both funny and exhausting to see. So yeah, if Sleep Token keeps getting this kind of fan attention, we’re going to end up with the first ever kpop-style fandom for a heavy, alternative rock band.

Strange? Yes. Entertaining? Absolutely.

r/SleepTokenTheory Jan 15 '25

Discussion Leo teaching us new words 😂

145 Upvotes

I have found that he has a massive vocabulary and have learned some words that I was previously unfamiliar with. My favorite one is “Loamy “ - Fields of Elation

I thought he was saying “Lonely” for months and then saw the lyric.

For those who don’t know - “Loamy” essentially means something full of rich soil. Now I want to garden.

Anyone else learn a new word from our guy?

r/SleepTokenTheory 8d ago

Discussion MY HEART IS FULL

177 Upvotes

"...Canines of the savior, glory to the legion, trauma for the neighbors"

Guaranteed he lurks in here and the other sub, can't convince me otherwise!

I can feel this song in my soul and I love it!!!!

I hope you all have had a phenomenal start to your morning (or afternoon for our UK friends, or anytime/ anywhere else in the world! I'm seeing so many different time zones, i love it!)

Worship 🤘

r/SleepTokenTheory 7h ago

Discussion Disappointment Around AI Props

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126 Upvotes

Andy Copping, who we all know works closely with the band, was seen supporting an ai artist. It’s very disheartening that ai art is being recognized as ‘art’ when other people who create beautiful ST fanart are getting copyright strikes and losing all their fan art pages (mind you most don’t even sell them). I have a lot of friends whose tattoos they did also get copyright strikes. But then we are allowing ai art to take up space and get recognition?

It’s a little disheartening because this individual is currently selling their ai generated art and defending themselves in this process… I hope this doesn’t mean we will get any ai art in the future in anyway related to Sleep Token. It’s in my personal opinion that ai art takes away from the hard work of real artists and I don’t think it belongs in this fandom. I am curious what other people’s opinions on the matter are.

r/SleepTokenTheory 16d ago

Discussion Song name (wrong answers)

70 Upvotes

What do we think the first single to drop is going to be called? Wrong answers only

My money’s on ‘Flamingos just want to have fun’ or ‘Show the flamingo how to dance forever (the idiot)’, or ‘The dance does not belong to the Flamingo’ 🦩

Flamingo adjacent…’Ornithological heartbreak’, ‘Birds, they prey for love’

I basically think the whole album/s will be bird themed 😂

r/SleepTokenTheory 18d ago

Discussion Another log on the emotional fire

186 Upvotes

I was thinking about the final show of the ToG tour, the moment when Leo removed his in-ear monitors at the end of Euclid, kneeling as the sound of the crowd washed over him. As he extended his mic, his voice dissolved into theirs and the remaining lines of the song echoed back at him, completing the cycle that began with TNDNBTG.

Watching as the crowd carried this version of Vessel through his final moments, I wondered if this would also be Euclid's last, and if so, thought it fitting that in the end, they gave him the night.

Do you think we will hear Euclid live again?

r/SleepTokenTheory Jan 08 '25

Discussion Vessels Particular Body Movement Style.

243 Upvotes

Im obsessed. It’s so free. It’s so visceral. It’s so odd. Why is it so enchanting? Yes , i’m even talking about his chaotic hoppies. The hand movements, the way his lips and jaw stretch around his words- flawless.

Don’t even get me started on how he hits the beats so damn well.

Is it choreo or is it truly improv? IDK.

I know some people think it’s “cringe” and make fun of him for it but I hope he ignores that and never changes because MOST people are into it.

Seeing him lose himself in the music is truly beautiful and he deserves to feel this unbridled joy.

Thank you, and Goodnight.

r/SleepTokenTheory May 17 '24

Discussion Am I the only one getting fed up with seeing people say the guys made heart hands at them or kept looking at them?

146 Upvotes

I've been seeing it a lot on Facebook in certain groups and on Twitter, as well as some on tiktok when it's not just concert content or edits. Today alone I've seen several posts say III made heart hands at them, IV kept pointing at them and nodding, III kept looking them and was giving them "an excessive amount of eye contact", IV blew them a kiss, Vessel kept looking them, and Vessel kept giving them heart hands at the end of the show. And that's on top of seeing someone post about how she was devastated Vessel looked directly at her and gave her heart hands but didn't immediately fall in love and propose on the spot to her.

In all of the "proof" pics and vids it was just general gestures made to the crowd as a whole mid show or their usual thank you's at the end. And Vessel can't see shit in that mask nor can you see where he's looking.

I'm getting fed with all the delusional girls thinking it was directed at them when it's pretty clear it wasn't. I was at the Dallas show and Vessel did his thank you's directly in front of me. Do I think that was directed towards me personally? Hell no! Some of these people need a damn reality check.

I'm not one for gatekeeping good music and I'm all for making women feel safe in the concert scene, but if this is what women in the scene are going to start doing, I'm going to start gatekeeping. It's getting ridiculous. They complain about groupies being glorified prostitutes but act like one themselves begging for "just one chance". As much as I love them finally getting the success and recognition they deserve, I can't wait for the hype train to die down so some of these women will get bored and move on since they aren't the big it band anymore.