{"title":"Sleep","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Sleep\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSleep formed in San Jose, California in 1990 around Al Cisneros, Matt Pike, and Chris Hakius. They are widely cited as one of the foundational acts of stoner metal and doom metal alongside contemporaries like Kyuss, Electric Wizard, and Cathedral. Their 1992 album Sleep's Holy Mountain became a underground classic and established the foundational template for Black Sabbath-influenced stoner doom. The band signed with London Records and recorded Dopesmoker (1996), a 63-minute single-track album about a cannabis-fueled religious pilgrimage. London Records shelved the album over commercial concerns, releasing a truncated edit as Jerusalem (1999) before the band dissolved. The full Dopesmoker was finally released by Tee Pee Records in 2003 and re-released in a 2012 Southern Lord Recordings edition (with Al Cisneros-approved mix). The band reformed in 2009 with Jason Roeder (of Neurosis) replacing Hakius. Their 2018 album The Sciences - released without prior announcement on April 20 (4\/20 cannabis holiday) - was their first studio LP in nineteen years. Matt Pike's parallel band High on Fire and Al Cisneros's parallel band Om have catalogs. Their foundational influence on stoner metal, doom metal, and broader extreme metal is widely cited.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSound and style\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSleep's sound is foundational to stoner metal as a recognized genre - combining stoner metal, doom metal, sludge metal, drone, psychedelic rock, and heavy metal with Cisneros's distinctive vocal delivery (use of intoned, cannabis-themed lyrical content), Pike's signature distorted guitar work (Black Sabbath influence), and slow-tempo, dense compositional approaches drawing on Black Sabbath alongside contemporary doom metal traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscography highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVolume One (1991, Tupelo) - Asbestosdeath under earlier name\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSleep's Holy Mountain (1992, Earache)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJerusalem (1999, Music for Nations) - truncated Dopesmoker edit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDopesmoker (2003, Tee Pee) - full version\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDopesmoker (2012, Southern Lord) - definitive edition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Sciences (2018, Third Man) - 19-year-gap reunion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLeagues Beneath (2018, Third Man) - single\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFor collectors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Earache, London Records, Tee Pee, Southern Lord, and Third Man Records pressings of the Sleep catalog are foundational items in doom metal collecting, with collector premiums on rare pressings. The various Dopesmoker editions (1996 unreleased \/ 1999 Jerusalem \/ 2003 Tee Pee \/ 2012 Southern Lord \/ 2022 Third Man) have collector interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to start\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eListeners new to Sleep typically start with Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) or Dopesmoker (2012). \u003cspan class=\"related-collections\"\u003eExplore more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/metal-vinyl-records\"\u003eMetal\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sleep-holy-mountain-cd","title":"Holy Mountain CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eSleep’s Holy Mountain (1992) is a stoner-doom landmark, fusing Sabbath-inspired riffs, hypnotic grooves, and cosmic heaviness into a cult classic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540742123703,"sku":"210000083119","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/3592691-2540873.jpg?v=1781154086"},{"product_id":"sleep-the-sciences-vinyl","title":"The Sciences LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eSleep’s first full-length album of new recordings since 1998.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540990505143,"sku":"210000057739","price":35.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/sleep-thesciences-1ccopy.webp?v=1781154990"},{"product_id":"sleep-sleep-s-holy-mountain-rsd-essential-green-vinyl","title":"Sleep's Holy Mountain LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eExperience the monumental sound of Sleep with their iconic album, Sleep's Holy Mountain, now available on striking green vinyl. This special RSD Essential release captures the raw energy and weighty riffs that define the stoner metal genre, making it a must-have for collectors and fans alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48772781768887,"sku":"210000099418","price":36.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4426452-3562837.jpg?v=1782828472"},{"product_id":"sleep-iommic-life-the-clarity-leagues-beneath","title":"Iommic Life (The Clarity\/Leagues Beneath) 2X12\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eSouth African electronic bliss. 5\/7\/21\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785705566391,"sku":"210000058732","price":29.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/sleep.jpg?v=1783045707"},{"product_id":"sleep-dopesmoker-vinyl","title":"Dopesmoker 2LP","description":"\u003cp\u003e2\/10\/23 Recorded in 1996 and not released (in slightly different edit\/mix) until 1999 under the title Jerusalem, the legend and lore behind Dopesmoker would overshadow an LP of any lesser significance. Lovingly reissued by Third Man Records.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785846894775,"sku":"210000076780","price":34.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/sleep_d6b46143-1813-4dc3-91d9-8cda085a29f7.jpg?v=1783046087"},{"product_id":"sleep-volume-one-vinyl","title":"Volume One LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eSleep's Volume One LP grinds with a hypnotic heaviness, a sound so thick it feels tangible. Recorded at a pivotal moment with guitarist Justin Marler before his shift into a life of faith, this release drags the genre into darker depths. Riffs loom like shadows, weighing heavily in the air, a stark representation of a band at their most visceral, unrefined yet magnetic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785891590327,"sku":"210000045265","price":26.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/r-468196-1491394773-8591jpeg.jpg?v=1783046212"},{"product_id":"sleep-leagues-beneath-vinyl","title":"Leagues Beneath 12\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eSleep's \"Leagues Beneath\" doesn't linger in the shadows but thunders forward with dramatic riffs and sustained tones. This 12\" single, with its die-cut jacket whispering weight, stretches a full 17 minutes, encapsulating the essence of their recent work. Heavy and direct, it asserts its place in the metal canon without hesitation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785945985207,"sku":"210000048070","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/3820030.jpg?v=1783046363"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.waxtraxrecords.com\/collections\/sleep.oembed","provider":"Wax Trax Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}