The Internet is undefeated when it comes to complaining. Even more so when it comes to something super important like… a stoner doom band putting out a new record without a foundational member. I kid a little bit, but in gathering the pulse of the doom community over the last few weeks, it’s clear the announcement of Sleep’s new lineup and singles are going over like a fart in church for many fans. I’m seeing everything from the silly and stubborn “No Pike, no Sleep” to extremely sophisticated barbs like “they should change the band name to Nap.” To be honest, I get why people are upset. Sleep has coughed up some of the very best the genre has to offer. I’ll argue that 2018’s The Sciences is the group’s crowning achievement, my default suggestion to anyone pursuing the genre, and an all-time personal favorite—all in no small part due to Matt Pike’s presence of magnificent riffitude and scuzzy guitar tone.
No doubt shaking up the personnel in a three-piece is going to make a difference. Further souring the recent discourse is the “firing” of drummer Jason Roeder, now back in his rightful place with Neurosis. It’s apparent that Al Cisneros is calling the shots for Sleep, and while many have viewed this as some kind of power trip, I’d argue it would be far stranger to have an Al-less version of Sleep—or for him to start an entirely new band to play this style of music. The cynic in me says that if Hempispheres were released under a different name, the grumpiest of online grumps would dismiss it as “wannabe Sleep” or something. Whatever. Bands come and go, members change, and life goes on. There are multitudes of bands who’ve changed lineups and moved on from key members, and this is no different. Whatever idea one has about what this band is or should be isn’t tied to any single person, and I think that’s an important distinction to keep in mind when listening to this record.
All that said, my outlook going into Hempispheres is probably sunnier than most. Enlisting former Shrinebuilder collaborator and Melvins sticksman legend Dale Crover is a wonderful, if not downright obvious choice. There’s history there, dude kicks like a mule, and he can groove with the best of ’em. On the other hand, filling Pike’s shoes with Bud Dupree (Void) is a surprising call. A speedy ’80s D.C. hardcore guitarist at the helm of the S.S. Slow & Low? Now this was certain to garner some attention, but I wasn’t clear on how this’d actually play out. Sure, Pike is no stranger to ferocity and speed, but this substitution on paper seemed like it could really shake things up. Does it?
Well, the rollout for Hempispheres might have you thinking so. Lead single “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” in particular the “(4:20 Flexi Edit),” is just about as boilerplate as Sleep can get. The production is more bass-forward, we get some sci-fi synths in the mix for a little character, but it’s a curious choice to introduce the new lineup—an (only) four-freakin-minute Sleep song? No substantial soloing? How can anyone couch-lock into something so brief? It all felt a little …off. Truth be told, this is corrected on the album cut—I knew there were some solos hiding from us—but I’m left wondering why the introduction to this new lineup was cut so short, literally. Oddly enough, the second single, “The Morrisist,” landed in the same fashion: another sub-five-minute, heavy-on-the-eerie-atmosphere diddy, replete with more cosmic synths and an Om-like meditative groove. Shortform Sleep, especially on the heels of the phenomenal and utterly indulgent forays of The Sciences, hinted at something else entirely: a dramatic change in direction. And yet, fortunately, that’s not the case.
The title-track centerpiece wastes no time getting cooking with that crooked, lurching Sleep groove we all know and love. The creepy spacey synths return, just enough to lend some distinguishing presence (they pop up time and time again, and I kinda love it?), but more importantly, Dupree gets his chance to lend his own signature. I gotta say, I’m really feeling what this dude lays down, and I absolutely adore how you can hear his flavor come through in a format that actually gives him time to let loose. (Seriously, take 10 minutes and throw those Void EPs on to get a little micro-taste of what you’ll find here.) If he’s a chiller, more subdued player than Pike, he’s also a more patient and expressive one; there’s something weirdly dark and haunting about the tone he’s dialed in, and goddamn can he make that fucker scream when he climbs the fretboard. He meshes in nicely with the bass-forward production of Hempispheres. Where previous records had bass and guitar matching fire with fire, this record sounds more like IcyHot. Rest assured, the closing three minutes of those resin-coated leads in this title track are about as Sleep as it gets without being that Sleep: something to groove with, but more importantly, something worth getting lost in.
This spirit continues throughout the remainder of the album. The groove again leads the way in the jammy “Arrival of the Industry Ships,” an eleven-minute whopper with this progressively deteriorating, blown-out bass that’s equal parts percussive and “holy shit” levels of fuckery at an appropriate high volume. Al and Bubba flex a bit on the jams here, something I hope is a peek at what to expect on the road (or maybe I’m just buzzin’ on the whole jam thing after seeing King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard cut loose at Field of Vision). Similarly, closer “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked” instantly locks in on another ear-turning groove. Crover, like Roeder and others before him, balancing restraint and style, every fill matching pace and power. The riffing here is something old Sleep might’ve had a lil’ more oomph behind, and it’s one of the few times it feels like the production isn’t doing the song justice. And yet, when Dupree cuts in with a lead, it all seems to make more sense. The contrast in the guitars is super effective and, in a way, unlocks the angle they take on Hempispheres.
This is a (more) groove-forward version of Sleep. I’ll admit, the riffs aren’t quite as delicious as they’ve been in the past, but these grooves fucking stick. Is it the best Sleep album, or, to ask another way, did you really think they’d ever top The Sciences? No. Is it still worth splurging on all the Indica you can get your mitts on for this record? Absofuckinglutely. So let’s hit the cliché buttons: first impressions aren’t everything, and expectation is the thief of joy. For real, give this one some time to sink in if your precious ears can handle the tonal shift. It’s apparent Bubba and Dale understand the assignment: this is unequivocally a Sleep record, but with a different atmosphere, a new planet to explore, if you will.. Ultimately, it’s the same Sleep, just a different strain.
Hemispheres is available digitally everywhere on September 3 via Third Man Records. (Strange there’s no vinyl, eh?) The comic book is also available for preorder via Third Man, due out September 22.