Second Hard Rock Album Is No. 1 on Billboard 200 in Last 3 Weeks

Congrats to Sleep Token, who have topped the Billboard 200 album chart with their latest effort, Even in Arcadia.

Could rock and metal be having a moment in 2025? This marks the second heavy band to top the Billboard 200 Album Chart in three weeks. After being released on April 25, Ghost‘s Skeleta became the first hard rock album to top the Billboard 200 album chart in over four years (the last time was AC/DC’s Power Up in November 2020). Now we’ve got two rock/metal albums topping the chart in a span of just three weeks.

How Sleep Token Became Rock + Metal’s Latest Chart Topper?

Sleep Token have been one of heavy music’s buzziest bands in recent years. Songs from their Take Me Back to Eden albums were regularly hitting Spotify’s Top 50 Viral Songs Chart back in 2023, So their rising popularity is nothing new.

With their latest record, Sleep Token began teasing the possibility of new music back in February, starting with a puzzle that fans could piece together through a website. The band then launched private social media accounts where fans could either follow @featheredhost or @houseveridian.

A U.S. arena tour was announced in March, shortly followed by the arrival of the lead single “Emergence” and the reveal of the new album title Even in Arcadia.

READ MORE: Does Sleep Token’s ‘Even in Arcadia’ Match the Hype? Fans Weigh In

Sleep Token continued to shroud their new music with mystique, using a metalhead weatherman to tease the release of their next single “Caramel.” Then, in late April, a third single “Damocles” was issued ahead of the album’s release. With the hype at its peak, Sleep Token issued Even in Arcadia on May 9 to much fanfare on social media.

A Breakdown of Sleep Token Sales

According to Billboard, Sleep Token’s fourth studio album, Even in Arcadia, became the chart topper for the week dated May 24 with 127,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. That made it the biggest week by units for any rock album in nearly a year, and the biggest for any hard rock album in two years. Additionally, the set’s streaming numbers were so big that it was the largest streaming week ever for a hard rock album.

Of Even in Arcadia‘s opening week sales, albums sales accounted for 73,500 of the final total. That was good enough for the record to also sit at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales Chart. SEA (streaming equivalent album) units comprised 53,000 of the total, while TEA (track equivalent units) made up 500 of the total.

Additionally, there were six vinyl variants, a standard CD, two deluxe CD box sets and a standard digital download album giving fans plenty of platforms to choose from when it came to picking up the record.

Billboard also noted that Sleep Token is only the fourth act this year to simultaneously top the Billboard 200 Album Chart, the Top Albums Sales Chart and the Top Streaming Albums chart. The others are Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem, Kendrick Lamar‘s GNX and The Weeknd‘s Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Sleep Token bested Kali Uchis for the top spot this past week, as her Sincerely album debuted at No. 2 for the week.

Where Can I See Sleep Token in 2025?

As previously stated, Sleep Token have already started to lay out their 2025 touring schedule. The Rock im Park, Rock Am Ring and Download Festivals will all feature the band in June before they kick off a North American tour this September. The run starts on Sept. 16 in Duluth, Ga., and concludes on Oct. 11 in Los Angeles. At present, those are the only dates on the band’s touring calendar for the year.

To see all Sleep Token tour stops and get ticketing information, be sure to check out their website. While there, you can also find links to purchase or stream the new Even in Arcadia album as well.