Sleep Token Follow Ghost's Lead, Topping the Chart Two Weeks Ago

It has been a massive month commercially for rock music. This week, Sleep Token followed Ghost, scoring their first career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200

Sleep Token has scored their first career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Even In Arcadia, following Ghost who topped the chart two weeks ago in a massive month for rock music.

Earlier this month, Ghost hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with their sixth studio effort SKELETÁ. While the album sold 86,000 units in its first week, Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia has sold approximately 127,000 units, the most for any hard rock album in nearly two years.

Additionally, Even In Arcadia has recorded the largest streaming week ever for a hard rock album, according to Luminate.

This summer, both Sleep Token and Ghost are embarking on massive North American arena tours; a major moment for keeping heavy music in the mainstream.

Sleep Token’s last album Take Me Back to Eden was released in 2023. It peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart and No. 2 on the UK’s Rock & Metal Albums chart. Stateside, it hit No. 16 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on Top Rock Albums, and No. 2 on the Top Hard Rock and Alternative Albums charts.

In the fall, Sleep Token will kick of a sold-out tour of the United States starting on September 16 in Georgia.

GRAMMY-winning rockers Ghost released their sixth studio album SKELETÁ on April 25 through Loma Vista Recordings. Anchored by the lead single “Satanize,” the record has earned the band their first No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. The album sold 86,000 units from the release date until Friday, May 1, giving them their best first sales week ever, according to Luminate. Approximately 89% of the sales were driven by traditional album sales, a bulk of which came from vinyl sales. Colored vinyl variants sold out almost immediately.

SKELETÁ also landed at No. 1 on the U.S. Album, Vinyl Album, Indie Store Album, Independent Album, Rock Album, Rock and Alternative Album, and Hard Rock Album charts. Internationally, the album bowed at No. 1 in the band’s native Sweden, as well as Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Finland. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK, Netherlands and Norway, No. 4 in France and No. 6 in Ireland, among others.

Selling approximately 44,000 vinyl units, SKELETÁ is single-biggest selling hard rock album on vinyl in the modern era since Luminate began tracking data in 1991, and the most for any rock album since 2023.

The band’s last full-length LP Impera peaked at No. 1 back in 2022.

The all-new SKELETÁ is the first hard rock record to top the Billboard 200 in four years. It is the band’s ninth studio effort to hit the chart. They first debuted back in 2013 with their sophomore outing, Infestissumam, which peaked at No. 28 marking their first Top 40 album. With SKELETÁ , the group now boasts eight Top 40 efforts, five of which have reached the Top 10.