If you follow meteorologist Chris Michaels on Instagram and TikTok, you may have noticed some different posts within the last week.
Michaels, a self-proclaimed "metalhead," (in terms of his taste in music) will occasionally put lyrics from rock and metal bands into his forecasts. This caught the attention of one of the biggest bands in the world currently, Sleep Token.
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Its management and label reached out for what Michaels says is “the most unexpected collaboration of my career so far.”
Who is Sleep Token?
Sleep Token is a masked and anonymous band out of England, known for its lore and mixing of genres.
Over the course of its three studio albums, the band has captivated audiences through its blend of multiple genres. There's the obvious rock and metal influence. In its only video interview, the band's drummer said he also drew influence from the "UK dance scene."
Fans from across the globe call themselves "Worshippers." This has to do with the lore behind the band, who is said to honor the ancient deity, Sleep.
Band members have yet to reveal their names. The lead singer goes by Vessel. The drummer is II, the bassist is III and the guitarist is IV.
Much like their anonymity, the releases for the upcoming album, "Even In Arcadia," have been a mystery as well.
Here’s how Chris got involved.
WRAL’s involvement with Sleep Token’s latest release
After sneaking a few lyrics from the band’s earlier release, "Emergence," into his forecasts, Michaels received a message on TikTok from the band’s account.
Michaels says, "It took a few minutes to compose myself and several double takes to realize that this was real and was not some spam account."
He followed up with the information given, expecting something along the lines of a T-shirt from the band. It turned into a collaborative effort to get fans hyped for the release of a new single.
Michaels was tasked with using a weather map and weather information to help garner interest from Sleep Token's fans on social media.
1. Prepare
The first video was posted Thursday, March 27. It alluded to an update that would be shared on Saturday, March 29.
There was another part to this. Other people involved in the project put two audio recordings in the Sleep Token Reddit and Discord.
These recordings were in Morse code. One of the lines of the code was W R A L.
Once fans made the connection between the band and "the metal weatherman," it didn’t take long before Michaels' and the WRAL social media platforms were flooded with "worshippers."
In addition to fan videos on TikTok, this started to get the attention of radio show hosts and other rock/metal platforms across the country.
2. Developing
There were so many theories swirling the internet – that fans would be blessed with a new single from the band Saturday, or that Michaels would be putting hidden lyrics into the forecast already.
On the morning of the March 29, Michaels posted this video to Instagram and to TikTok. The caption read "Developing. 3/31."
A member of Sleep Token’s team blurred out certain letters on a map that WRAL often uses ahead of severe weather to show people what counties they live in.
Within minutes, fans noticed the letters spelled the single, "Caramel." This was supposed to be the first in a series of puzzle pieces that fans would put together.
The second piece was to come on Monday, March 31.
Michaels says, "I deliberately used phrases like 'details will emerge' and 'developing starting Monday' so as to not promise new music, but to tease ahead to another puzzle piece."
3. Plant
This is where legit meteorology and climatology came into play. Knowing when the song would be released, Michaels showed a map for our average last freeze.
None of it was altered. It was straightforward data from the North Carolina State Climate Office that showed the average last freeze in Durham and Goldsboro as April 4.
Hidden within this map was the release date for the new single.
This was posted to the same platforms Monday, March 31 with the caption ‘Plan(t).’ This was meant to symbolize that a) Sleep Token fans could plan for another announcement on April 2 and that b) people could start thinking of planting after the average last freeze.
The final puzzle piece (relating to lunar phases) was supposed to be posted on April 2.
However, after facing backlash that went far beyond the path of reason, those involved in the decision-making process released the name of the song and the date in which it would be released on the 31st to Sleep Token's main accounts.
A Note From Chris Michaels
Though there was one more puzzle piece that we never got to show, I'm honored to have been a part of this project with a band who's been one of my favorites since 2021.
To blend my two loves - weather and music - is something I will never forget.
I have to say thank you to Sleep Token, its management and its label, RCA Records, for including me in this project. It took a lot for them to trust me - someone they don't know - with something confidential. The vast majority of fans showed me more love and support than I ever thought possible. I also have to say thank you to the management here at WRAL. You put a lot of trust in me to do something out of the norm. For that, I will be full of (as Sleep Token would say) “eternal gratitude.”
Expect a few of the lyrics to be woven into the forecast during the Saturday morning newscast.
Sleep Token will be in North Carolina in Greensboro on September 20, but the tickets sold out almost immediately after going on sale.
Its new album, ‘Even In Arcadia’ is set to come out in May.
Ahead of the album and tour, the band released a single, ‘Caramel,’ Friday, April 4.