"I've taken a lot of inspiration from the UK dance music scene." Watch Sleep Token drummer II give the band's first ever recorded interview

Merlin Alderslade
·2 min read
II on camera.
II on camera.

Sleep Token drummer II has made history by becoming the first member of the band to give a full, on-camera interview. The musician has revealed his personal musical influences, the other drummers that have inspired him and the secrets behind his style in a new interview with Drumeo, posted to their official YouTube channel. The interview comes days after he and fellow Sleep Token members III and IV revealed some stunning new, nu metal-style masks following the band's historic show at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.

Wearing his old mask (presumably the interview was recorded before its recent upgrade), and with his voice altered so as to protect his identity, II notes: "I've always personally taken a lot of inspiration from the UK dance music scene. Listening to various genres of drum 'n' bass specifically allow me to incorporate stylistic traits from those genres into my vocabulary as a drummer."

Explaining how his drumming style has evolved over Sleep Token's three studio albums, II says: "I would say that while my stylistic approach and goals have generally stayed the same, my vocabulary on the kit has expanded. I tried to work on not always using the same phrases, or using those phrases in the same voicing to ensure the parts remain somewhat interesting. However, this in itself is a continual work in progress. As a player, I will admit that I, like others, don't always achieve this, but to me, that is very, very much all part of the journey itself."

Later in the interview, II names some of his favourite players to have ever sat behind the kit. "When I first started playing, I - like many others in my generation - was heavily into drummers such as Joey Jordison, Matt from the band Mudvayne," he reveals, "as well as the more extreme speed players, such as Derek Roddy [Nile, Hate Eternal]."

You can watch II's full interview, as well as see him flexing his considerable drumming skills, via the video below. Sleep Token's latest album, Take Me Back To Eden, is out now via Spinefarm.