Sleep Token have broken a long silence to say they have nothing to do with any outside project using their name, and fans and several outlets have connected the statement to Arcus, a new masked project that was promoted as coming from the band’s “co-creator.” The Sleep Token Arcus situation surfaced when the band posted a short statement to its Instagram story. ThePRP says it went up “this past weekend,” and Louder and Metal Injection reported on it Monday, Oct. 19. The statement doesn’t name Arcus.
What Sleep Token Said
The statement at the center of the Sleep Token Arcus story, in full, as reported by ThePRP, Louder and Metal Injection:
A word, for the sake of clarity. Sleep Token has no affiliation with any outside musical project that invokes this name, nor with anyone who uses it to promote one. Such claims are not made with our blessing and are not endorsed by Sleep Token. What is ours is here, and here alone.”
That’s all of it. The Sleep Token Arcus connection comes from outlets and fans, not the band. There’s no mention of a specific band, person or project, and the band hasn’t said anything more since.
What Is Arcus?
According to Metal Injection, Arcus surfaced last month with a trailer tagged “From the co-creator of Sleep Token.” Metal Injection says the roughly one-minute clip “flashed unsettling occult, paranormal and psychological imagery,” with on-screen text hinting at a storyline, and that it wasn’t obvious at first whether it was for music or a horror project.
The Sleep Token Arcus comparisons got louder once there was music. Two weeks after the trailer, a song called “Death” by Arcus premiered on YouTube. Metal Injection describes the music as straddling “this alt-folk-metal line” and says it feels like it borrows elements from Sleep Token, including a breakdown toward the end. It says the video asks people to “join the assembly.”
Was the Sleep Token Arcus Link Ever Real?
Nothing in the sources says Sleep Token were involved, and the band’s statement says the opposite. How the Sleep Token Arcus connection was made is less clear:
- Metal Injection says the trailer’s tagline read “From the co-creator of Sleep Token.”
- Louder says fan threads on Reddit from the time “allege” that Arcus described itself as a project “from the co-creator of Sleep Token,” and that as of Oct. 19, Arcus’ social media bios didn’t mention any connection to the band.
- ThePRP says Arcus promoted itself as being conceived by a “co-creator of Sleep Token,” and “would later go on to remove their previous mentions of Sleep Token on their social media.”
ThePRP also reports a rumor about who is behind Arcus. We’re not repeating it here because it hasn’t been confirmed, and the people involved haven’t commented. Louder says “it is unclear who the statement is aimed at.” Metal Injection notes the band didn’t name Arcus but says “you can do the math on timelines here.”
A Quiet Year for Sleep Token
The Sleep Token Arcus statement stands out because Sleep Token have said so little in 2026. Louder says the band’s last live show was at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Oct. 11, 2025, and that there’s been no new music since last year’s Even In Arcadia, which Louder says “broke records upon release, landing atop album charts around the world.” Louder adds that the band’s future plans “remain unknown.”
So the Sleep Token Arcus statement doesn’t come with any news about Sleep Token’s own next move. No new album, tour or show has been announced.
What We Know and Don’t
- Known: Sleep Token say they have no affiliation with any outside project that uses their name, and that such claims aren’t endorsed by the band.
- Known: Arcus was promoted with a “co-creator of Sleep Token” line, per Metal Injection and ThePRP. Louder describes that as an allegation from fan threads.
- Known: As of Oct. 19, Arcus’ social bios didn’t mention Sleep Token, per Louder.
- Unknown: Who is behind Arcus, and whether Arcus will respond.
- Unknown: Any new Sleep Token music or tour dates, including anything in Southern California.
Sleep Token Arcus FAQ
When Sleep Token do come back to SoCal, the last show was up the road in L.A., and big L.A.-area shows are a familiar drive for San Diego fans, like System of a Down at the Rose Bowl. For more on where heavy music is headed, see our look at metal music in 2025, and for shows in town, our San Diego metal scene guide.
