Fans are getting to see the world of Sleep Token unfold up close as the enigmatic band continues their U.S. tour in support of their new album, Even in Arcadia. One person who’s gotten very close to the “Emergence” outfit is Johnny Franck, former guitarist for the metalcore group Attack Attack!, who opened for Sleep Token’s European tour in 2024 with his Bilmuri project.
As Franck tells ABC Audio, the tour allowed him to meet Sleep Token’s mysterious, anonymous frontman, known publicly only as Vessel.
“He’s genuinely someone that I really love,” Franck says of Vessel. “I enjoy him very deeply as a person.”
Like Sleep Token, Bilmuri combines elements of many different genres to create their sound. While Sleep Token filters that through an elaborate mythology based around an ancient deity, Bilmuri’s message is more about the highs and lows of living in the American Midwest.
To that end, Franck likens Bilmuri’s role in a Sleep Token show to comic relief in a dramatic movie.
“When they asked if we would hop on that tour, I was like, ‘Somehow, this makes all the sense in the world to me,'” Franck recalls. “I would imagine we provide just some sort of lighter thing before you delve into this heavy set from Sleep Token that’s really emotional and stuff like that. I think those two things go together really well.”
Touring with Sleep Token also allowed Franck to become more comfortable playing larger venues.
“It was cool at the end of the tour, we played [London’s] O2 and I walked in and I was like, ‘I feel excited nervous for the show, but I don’t feel daunted by this room in the same way that I did three weeks prior,'” he says.
Sleep Token’s tour continues Tuesday in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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