SilentScream213 One of the reasons I don’t like Trad Doom is because it is not inherently dark and melancholic like the rest of Doom. It’s not carried by gloomy atmospheres but rather slow riffage that sounds more akin to lethargic Heavy Metal. For me personally, if I’m gonna be listening to repetitive and lethargic music, it absolutely has to be emotionally or atmospherically evocative. In those instances, the plodding tempo works wonders to elevate the foreboding sense of despair or tragic melancholy. Otherwise, slow, lethargic music to me is just boring.

Sleep’s style of “Stoner Doom” is everything I dislike about Trad Doom multiplied and expanded upon. Slow, groovy, repetitive riffs that do nothing and go nowhere. No atmosphere, no emotion, the riffs even sound “happy” a good portion of the time. I don’t hate happy music (my J-Pop ratings can attest to that) but as far as slow, heavy music goes, happy is the last thing I want to hear. There is absolutely nothing “Doom” about this record, it’s just slow. Sections of improvisation are common, though they never stray from the formulaic riffs. The guitar solos in these sections are usually very poor as well.

The lyrics are almost interesting. A line or two will paint an intriguing picture of some fantasy desert land… but then it trails off into something completely unrelated, probably trying to evoke hallucinatory drug experiences. It ruins any sort of worldbuilding or narrative I think they could have otherwise succeeded in.

I’m going to throw out a wild claim, but I think if some people stopped listening to these sorts of albums while on drugs, they might realize how mundane they are without… outside influence. Not to say people can’t enjoy the grooviness of this sort of thing in total earnest, but I do believe it’s probably overrated due to that sort of influence.

siLLy puPPy Initially formed as Asbestosdeath by the trio of Al Cisneros (vocals, bass), Chris Hakius (drums) and Tom Choi (guitars), the band that would become SLEEP released two EPs under that moniker before ultimately losing Choi who would go on to form bands like Noothgrush and then adding guitarist Matt Pike for changing its name to the more familiar one. In the beginning, Asbestosdeath was an extreme sludge metal band much more in the vein of Eyehategod than the fuzz maestros that cranked out such classics as “Sleep’s Holy Mountain” and “Dopesmoker” but during this intermediate stage SLEEP retained some of the sludge magic mojo while steering its sound more into a plodding doom metal band with sludgy accoutrements.

The band’s two EPs as Asbestosdeath only featured four tracks and all of them were reworked and re-recorded to fit into the band’s doom metal sound that was released with five new tracks on SLEEP’s debut album VOLUME ONE which came out the following year in 1991. Unfortunately Justin Marler would soon depart the world of music to start a life as a monk but stuck around long enough to participate in this album which is SLEEP’s only one to feature four members instead of the power trio they are known to be on future releases. This album found two simultaneous releases with the vinyl appearing on the Very Small label and the CD on Tupelo.

For anyone familiar with the stoner metal fuzz of the band’s later albums, this debut may come as quite a surprise as it is much more focused on the compositions rather than a meditative fuzz frenzy that would soon follow. In the album’s near 46 minute run the procession of the tracks range from quite and completive to furious and angst ridden. The opening chants prognostic the medicative route the band would soon embark upon but the music soon becomes choppy jagged guitar riffs tamed into doom ridden chunks although the sludge distortion and screamed vocals remains on VOLUME ONE.

While the riffs often have a Black Sabbath feel to them, the Eyehategod sludge methodology is also present and SLEEP finds itself in between the two styles somewhat equidistantly with moments of one aspect or the other dominating. There are also breaks that find bass led grooves lead the guitar and drums into complex almost progressive interludes and the vocals calm down to weird narrative prose. The album is well paced as the moments of slower pastiches mixed with the rampaging metal heft are perfectly nurtured for all the right effects to unleash. The dueling guitars may not seem prominent but adds an interesting off-kilter counterpoint to the overall mix. The drumming is often simplistic as in some sludge metal but Hakius also provided some stellar workouts including interesting cymbal action.

VOLUME ONE doesn’t seem to get nearly as much love as SLEEP’s following stoner metal releases but i find this to be one compelling slab of molten metal madness that perfectly fuses the best of sludge metal with the traditional doom styles of the 70s. The musicians are all top notch and throw in some excellent technical workouts from time to time between the plodding slow paced procession throughout the album. The tracks aren’t at all predictable with meandering riffing styles generating a series of unexpected deviations from a simple chord dominated style of doom metal. IMHO this one is woefully under-appreciated as doom metal aficionados seem to write SLEEP off as a stoner metal band and for some reason the stoner crowds don’t find this one to be very compelling. In many ways i find this debut to be the most interesting SLEEP album of all although i have to admit i’m a sucker for that fiery fuzz that follows.

Warthur After all this time, and particularly considering that its members had gone off to do other projects, did anybody expect Sleep to ever put out another album? No - but good things come to those who wait. A full decade after reforming for very occasional live gigs, Sleep woke up in a bleary haze on 4/20 and passed us some of the good stuff - namely, a set of six songs in the classic Sleep vein. Nothing here is quite as mind-crushingly heavy as Dopesmoker, but that's only to be expected - nothing is as heavy as Dopesmoker - but I'd say in general it's consistently heavier and slower than, say, Sleep's Holy Mountain. If you know your stoner doom, you already know what to expect from Sleep, and they deliver it here as though they'd never been away.

aglasshouse Before you read this review, I suggest you check this list to see if you are associated with or are infatuated with the thought of any of the following:

cannabis, hemp, hashish, pot, dope, weed, Mary Jane, bud, hash, bhang, reefer, toke, ganja

If you answered yes to any of these, then you are secured and fully applicable to continue reading.

Sleep's previous work, Sleep's Holy Mountain, was less of a exercise of creative muscle and more of a salute to one of bands foremost influences, Black Sabbath. The instruments were kicked up a few notches in speed and vehement energy, and the slow muddle of their debut was toned down. After the album's release though the band set their eyes on a newer and brighter future. In 1995 the band was set and ready to record a new shining prospect of an hour long track that showcased all of the band's skill and prowess. Due to several problems in the process, mainly a contract with Earache Records preventing them from recording until '96, and the debt the band suffered until signing with London Records, the album Jerusalem was not released until 1999. Jerusalem was a 52 minute epic due to the unauthorized editing down by London Records that the band refused to have released. After a while many versions of Jerusalem were created under different titles and formats, but the most well known, highly acclaimed, and liked by the band was the 2003 release titled Dopesmoker. Cisneros himself admitted it was his favorite and was the closest to what he wanted in the first place, so that's what we'll be looking at today.

Dopesmoker is a concept album of sorts, a muddy brown sludge fest of repetitious chords and rhythms, that supposedly tells of a caravan crossing the desert to transport cannabis. The song is a giant drone-fest no doubt, and is probably one of the biggest milestones of stoner music in current history. Many doom metal bands have either cited it as an influence or a highly admirable piece of music, and I agree with that sentiment. Any fan of doom metal would find this grinding journey of an album to give you your desired state of comatose perfection any day of the week. Dopesmoker isn't subtle, no. But it's amateur composition and recording process make it one of the most organic and overall 'human' pieces I've heard in the metal circuit. Take a load off and go with the flow, bro.

aglasshouse A humble step forward for the band, Sleep's second album Sleep's Holy Mountain is a wholehearted tribute to 70's Black Sabbath, with faster riffs and ultimately faster songs. It's actually quite a shock when going from Volume One to this, due to the lighter (or just less somber atmosphere) of this record. As I said before this is mainly a full-blown incorporation of Sabbath's sound (circa debut/Paranoid), from the completely changed vocals of Cisneros to a more Osbourne style yell, to the faster guitar riffing to create a more streamlined sound. Don't let that turn you off in the slightest, because this album rocks hard, with perhaps more vigor than Volume One. With a newfound confidence, Sleep goes full steam ahead!