Sleep

by Ed RivadaviaPerhaps the ultimate stoner rock band, Northern California trio Sleeps career wafted in and out of focus from within their self-mandated cloud of marijuana smoke. In their short time together, the group issued some of the heaviest, most uncompromising doom metal albums ever recorded, leaving a legend far exceeding the actual volume of their output.Formed in the late 80s in San Jose, California by bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros, guitarists Matt Pike and Justin Marler and drummer Chris Haikus, Sleep instantly drew comparisons to under-appreciated 80s doomsters like the Obsessed, Pentagram and especially Saint Vitus. Their sludgy 1991 debut was named Volume One in honor of their sonic godfathers Black Sabbath, but it wasnt until Marlers departure (reportedly to become a monk!) and the release of 1993s Sleeps Holy Mountain that their own, unique doom metal vision truly began coming into focus. The album became a favorite of the heavy metal press, and Sleep were heralded alongside other promising retro-rocking groups like Kyuss and Monster Magnet as leaders of the newly emerging stoner rock / doom metal scene. Such was the buzz surrounding the group, that following a short European tour supporting first generation doomsters Trouble and English hopefuls Cathedral, Sleep was reportedly offered an unprecedented six-figure deal by London Records. But instead of grabbing their chance at mainstream stardom for all it was worth, Sleep vowed to delve even deeper into their incredibly heavy and slothful sound instead. After almost two years of writing and re-writing material for their next album (to be named Dopesmoker, not surprisingly) amidst abundant weed consumption, the trio finally delivered their long-awaited epic, now named Jerusalem, to London Records. But to their labels surprise, Jerusalem comprised a single, 60-minute magnum opus to marijuana which the band refused to edit or split up into sections under any circumstances. A complete deadlock ensued, tying up both parties in red tape for another two years. Finally, having smoked their entire cash advance through their bongs, Sleep decided to break up rather than surrender the album. Guitarist Matt Pike went on to form a new, more energetic heavy metal band called High on Fire, while drummer Matt Haikus eventually re-united with founding guitarist (and now ordained monk) Justin Marler in The Sabians. In the meantime, an unauthorized version of Jerusalem was quietly released by Rise Above Records, but it wasnt until 2003 that a supposedly authentic and fully endorsed version of Dopesmoker finally reached record store shelves, bringing the convoluted Sleep saga to a close at last.