Maybe a hot take, but I think people who are hating on Sleep Token's popularity and saying "they shouldn't be considered metal anymore" were never actually fans.
Don't get me wrong, it's totally okay to simply not like their music. My partner doesn't, and that's his own tastes. He doesn't talk shit though.
The thing is hating on ST has become trendy, going against the grain. Fans of Take Me Back to Eden that don't like Even in Arcadia because of its lack of metal clearly haven't listened to a lot of Sleep Token.
Even in Arcadia falls in line with This Place Will Become Your Tomb and Sundowning. And have you heard their first EPs? One is all lullabies. TMBTE is the most metal album they've released - because it's what they wanted to write.
What I think is lovely about their music and why they're so popular is because Vessel writes what he feels, not what he thinks will sell.
As he says in Damocles, "I know I should be touring, I know these chords are boring, but I can't always be killing the game"
He knows. And he's writing with emotion.
Now, that's not to say if someone only likes TMBTE they're not a fan of ST. There are some bands I only like an album from. It's when one starts trying to tear people down because it's not what they wanted or expected that I get annoyed.
Anyway, unnecessary rant over.
