Sleep Token surprise-release instrumental version of Even In Arcadia

Sleep Token have surprise-released the instrumental version of their latest album, Even In Arcadia.

The London masked metal band put out the original record last May. It went on to give them their first Number One on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. Caramel also became their first UK top 10 single.

The new instrumental edition is available on major streaming platforms now. A coloured vinyl release follows on August 7, with pre-order and pre-save available here.

Sleep Token have done the same thing before. Instrumental versions of 2019’s Sundowning and 2021’s This Place Will Be Your Tomb were both released. That was not the case for their 2023 breakout album, Take Me Back To Eden.

As well as its chart impact, Even In Arcadia brought the band their first two Grammy nominations, for Best Metal Performance for Caramel and Best Rock Performance for Emergence. Those awards went to Turnstile and Yungblud respectively.

In December, Sleep Token also shared a colouring book inspired by Even In Arcadia, featuring “25 extraordinary designs from Sleep Token’s enigmatic, groundbreaking and genre fluid career”.

The original album received a five-star review from NME, which wrote: “‘Even In Arcadia’ shatters any pressure of expectation into oblivion, building on the bravery of its predecessor, sonically, while its lyrics reveal the most exposed version of Vessel we’ve seen yet. From Eden to Arcadia – and beyond – let the worship continue.”

Sleep Token headlined Download Festival last summer in their first festival headline slot. KoRn later said the performance “shut everybody up” who had doubts about whether the band could step up.

Fans are now asking for a full release of the reworked version of Rain that appeared in The Game Awards’ Hype trailer.