As lead singer of English glam-rock revivalists the Darkness, Justin Hawkins knows a thing or two about bridging pop theatricality with heavy-metal bombast. So naturally, he loves everything Sleep Token are doing.
Just a couple days after Sleep Token dropped "Chokehold" in early 2023 and began their viral ascent, Hawkins posted a reaction video titled "Now THIS Is F***king Cool" on his popular YouTube channel, Justin Hawkins Rides Again.
The Darkness star was blown away by the intricate musicality of the track, and he's been a vocal cheerleader of the band ever since.
"I love Sleep Token," Hawkins enthuses. "I love the anonymity of it. I love the way it's challenging. There're so many dynamics being explored in it. It's really accomplished — not just harmonically rich, but dynamically rich as well. You don't see that very often.
"You've seen a lot of referential music happening in the rock scene, which is totally inspired by very, very specific periods in very, very specific bands' careers, and isn't really pushing anything forward. This is a band that pushes stuff forward.
"What's really encouraging about it is that it's being devoured by the masses. And when I say the masses, I mean people who actually care about guitar music.
"It warms the cockles to recognize that the average, everyday rock listener is prepared to get into something like that. That's not easy stuff to do. That's progressive in the best way.
"So to see something like that being successful… it just gives you hope. Not for me as an artist; I mean me as a music enthusiast. It's awesome to recognize that stuff you need [good] taste to appreciate is being appreciated by a lot of people.
"I think that means that people are starting to understand music in a different way. It's really cool."
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