The Sleep that you have known no longer exists, and Al Cisneros remains as the only core idea of the philosophy. If this can even be considered Sleep now remains the question. Will just fuzzy bass win back fans?
All stoner metal fans have always worshipped the Big Three. Sleep, Kyuss, and Electric Wizard were the weed-infused genre makers of a certain part that Black Sabbath discovered for the world a decade and a half ago. Sweet Leaf might have expressed their love for the leaf, but these 3 lived on the greens. With Al Cisneros alone being the only core founding member of Sleep still on the lineup, this had the tendency to go the Om way (Cisneros’ other project). Now, Hemispheres asks you the question of the Ship of Theseus. Is this Sleep, with a new album, or Om? It’s a wisp of blowback the fans have to answer.
The new lineup in sight
If you’ve missed the lineup crisis, here it is. Jason Roeder (former drummer; also of Neurosis) was fired over the phone – with little to no explanation. If that’s a bit vague, Matt Pike (guitarist, also of High on Fire) had a press release post for him: “Al wishes Matt the best on his earth bound maneuvers”. So essentially, you’re looking at Al Cisneros as Sleep bassist with Dale Crover of the Melvins and Bubba Dupree of Void as drummer and guitarist, respectively. Punk legends with legacies that can make tungsten light as pocket change. How do they sound in this album but, as a whole new lineup and mission statement to the sticky icky?
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I think some of the depth behind the sound goes to the recording context. Sleep recorded this album in Toshi Kasai’s recording studio, which happens to be where the Melvins have recorded most of their music. Hempispheres opens with “Have Spacesuit, Will Travel.” It’s a song that leans heavy on Al Cisneros’ bass line and a galloping drum sound that almost announces the drummer in a way. It is a classic timestamp of over 7 minutes where the two-note baseline interacts with Bubba Dupree’s guitar parts.
More meditative than Sleep
Personally I do feel the record leans a few feet deeper into the Om sound than what Sleep used to make. This isn’t evident from the first song or so, but generally, from how other compositions in this album are made. Perhaps Cisneros has found that Sleep’s gauntlet needed an upgrade in the way the songs are composed. It’s definitely a new chapter and a sound that fans will have to get used to. From The Sciences in 2018, which was celebrated as a return to doom, I do find the overall elements being similar to other legends of sludge. Honey Bucket by Melvins immediately came to mind, and we have Kasai for that direction as well.
The doom continues with The Morrisist. Rather than the heavier attack Matt Pike gave on all previous albums, you can see a devotion to a more meditative approach in these songs. It’s tamer and lacks the certain detail and layering that Pike’s style had on the band. I personally don’t like to think about band politics, for there are complications that come in from business perspectives, interpersonal relationships, and unexpected circumstances. However, you would be remiss to think that the sound you hear here is the strain of Sleep you became a fan of.
The colour fades, into smoke
The title track comes in next, budding with the same kind of riffs an amateur stoner metal band would try out. At a time when you listen to a legacy band with the expectation to hear incredible work, it’s disappointing when fans are expected to tune out just because they would likely be stoners. Many genre fans are stoners; you don’t see them just swallowing mediocre stuff just because they were favourites once upon a time. Arrival of the Industry Ships is where the spear is handed only to Al. There could be a lot more focus on how the guitar sounds, but there is an imbalance in the tracks that is evident from the mix.
The question remains, is this Sleep?
When The Sciences was released with Third Man Records in 2018, it was a comeback for the doom stoner metal scene like never before. I listened to the album just before this one, and it seems like Noah Landis researched every song they’ve made to bring the power trio back on the pedestal. 8 years later, it’s incomparable how even the new album breathes. Dale Crover is a monster drummer with a whole lot to show in so many iconic Melvin songs. Here, he seems to be buried behind a fuzz pedal and bass lines that would have gone very well if the band’s presence was felt more.
We appreciate the weed puns, how this return feels and even Al Cisneros’ efforts in maintaining a balance towards old Sleep and where this new lineup is going. Back to the question about Theseus, is this still the same band in spirit or not. Better to light a spliff, take a drag and really think; the way fans always have:
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