Not since Slipknot’s 2022 Album, The End, So Far, has a metal or hardcore band landed a No.1 album on the US’s Billboard Top 200 chart. With sensational acts Ghost and Sleep Token set to release their highly anticipated albums over the course of the next few weeks, it’s likely that one or possibly both bands could put an end to this 3 year long streak.
Ghost And Sleep Token’s Recent Singles Are Seeing Impressive Numbers
Over the last several years both masked outfits Ghost and Sleep Token have exponentially risen to the forefront of modern rock and metal. Each of the band’s latest singles for their 2025 LPs, prove that the hype and sensationalism surrounding them is tangible – Sleep Token’s latest single “Caramel” reached No.1 on five Billboard rankings, and Ghost’s recent single “Satanized” debuted at No.4 on both Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts.
In total Ghost has amassed over 20 million streams on Spotify between their two new singles, “Satanized” and “Lachryma,” and Sleep Token has reeled in a staggering 69 million streams between singles “Caramel” and “Emergence.”
Ghost’s 2025 Album, Skeletá
Ghost has achieved some incredible feats over the last decade from winning several Grammy awards to performing in front of sold-out arenas across the globe. That being said, they’ve still yet to land a No.1 charting album in the US. While their previous four albums charted at No.1 in their home country of Sweden, each album has also drastically outdone the previous in terms of its positioning on the US billboard chart – Ghost’s last LP Impera (2022) charted at No.2 in the UK and the US, marking the band’s highest charting album to date.
Ghost’s sixth studio album Skeletá is set to release April 25th, and if their exponential growth continues with this album cycle it’s more than likely that Skeletá will land the band its first No. 1 charting album.
Sleep Token’s 2025 Album, Even In Arcadia
Sleep Token doesn’t have the same charting history with their albums that Ghost does, which makes sense considering they’re still a fairly new band. In fact, their first two LPs Sundowning (2019) and This Place Will Become Your Tomb (2021) didn’t even breakthrough Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. However, with their previous LP, 2022’s Take Me Back To Eden, Sleep Token pierced through the zeitgeist and went from opening club shows to headlining arena’s across the globe.
Since then TMBTE has gone gold in the band’s home country of England, and the hype and anticipation for their fourth studio album Even In Arcadia (due May 9th) is unlike any other rock or metal release set for this year. Considering how viral Sleep Token’s latest two singles have been, with “Emergence” even beating Selena Gomez for the No.1 spot on iTunes, Sleep Token’s 2025 LP might have the strongest chance of reaching No.1 between the two bands. If charting metrics weren’t enough, Sleep Token’s upcoming North American arena tour completely sold out in a matter of days.
Bottom Line
For whatever reason, it seems that masked bands in metal music usually have the best odds at getting a No. 1 charting album, at least at some point during their career. Between Ghost and Sleep Token, neither band has yet achieved this feat but the hype surrounding the two is at an all time high. Based off the trends from both groups’ previous releases and the charting success they’ve recently seen, you can count on either Ghost or Sleep Token (or both) ending the three year dry spell metal has had on Billboard’s No.1 spot.