this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2025
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Hmmm I definitely agree with where you went at the end but I think there's a better comparison. Tool is one of those bands that musicians are really into. The way they write is deliberately technical in a way that non-musicians can enjoy but musicians geek out over. They really like "the process"
Sleep Token fans, from what I've seen, just really like the music. The fandom seems like a combination of any rock band and a pop star where there isn't a big percentage of self-proclaimed music experts. They're a lot less self-important, they just think their favorite band fuckin ROCKS.
I admit that's all anecdotal. And full disclosure, I dislike Sleep Token and used to really like Tool
Yeah I could very well be mischaracterizing ST's fandom. Like I said, I barely know anything about the group beyond one song, their aesthetic, and some of the drumming highlights (thanks Drumeo). However, OP's post smacked so very neatly of older complaints that Tool is over hyped and Bad, Actually™️, that I felt secure in conflating the two.
Totally agreed that there is an element of musician snobbery in Tool's fandom, but I'd be shocked if that's not also present in Sleep Token's world. Like I've said, I've got a very limited pallette to draw from, and maybe The Summoning is nonreprestentative of their usual sound, but I don't see how a band which produces that track doesn't attract the same type of fan that can't make it through a Tool song without mentioning the Fibonacci sequence (I say that with love, I'm often that fan despite my best efforts).
All the Sleep Token fans I know are pretty old, but that might just be because all the younger music fans I know are more in the rave scene.
Since OP made a comparison to Ghost, I did notice at the last show of theirs I attended, the crowd was very diverse. I saw kids and seniors alike.
Maybe part of the popularity of these bands is that they operate outside the traditional boundaries, so they're more likely to have cross-generational appeal. That helps boost popularity overall. We're in an era now where music is less defined by generations than in the past. As a kid I was mostly exposed to what my peers were listening to, but now I can access everything. It's getting much harder to pigeon-hole fandoms.