Description
Sleep – Dopesmoker – Double Vinyl Record
Dopesmoker by Sleep is a monumental album in the stoner doom genre, renowned for its sheer audacity and influence on the heavy music scene. Released in various forms and under different names starting from 1999, the album’s most recognized version, titled Dopesmoker, was officially released in 2003. This album is often celebrated not just for its music but also for its challenging production and release history.
Dopesmoker is an ode to the power of the riff, featuring a single, hour-long track that is a pilgrimage through slow, heavy riffs and meditative grooves. The song is a testament to Sleep’s dedication to their craft, focusing on a repetitive, droning musical structure that’s both hypnotic and monumental. The track weaves through quiet, contemplative passages and thunderous, crushing peaks, driven by Al Cisneros’ mesmeric bass lines and vocals, Matt Pike’s dense guitar work, and Chris Hakius’ methodical drumming.
The lyrics of Dopesmoker revolve around the themes of cannabis use and the journey of the ‘Weedian people’ through the desert to the ‘riff-filled land,’ reflecting the band’s well-known advocacy for marijuana legalization. The lyrical content is delivered in a chant-like, almost ritualistic manner, enhancing the trance-like quality of the music.
The production of Dopesmoker is a legend itself within music circles. Initially recorded as ‘Jerusalem,’ the album faced numerous hurdles with record labels, primarily due to its length and unorthodox structure, which were seen as commercially unviable. The band insisted on releasing the track as a whole piece, rejecting the label’s requests to alter or break it into sections. This dispute led to the initial breakup of Sleep.
The album, however, found its way to the audience through a series of releases. ‘Jerusalem’ was first released in a segmented format in 1999 without the band’s approval. The ‘Dopesmoker’ version, which is a slightly different mix and considered by the band to be the definitive version, was released in 2003 and then reissued with remastered tracks in 2012.
Dopesmoker has since become a cult classic, influencing countless bands within the doom, stoner, and sludge metal scenes. It’s praised for its uncompromising vision and its role in defining the stoner doom genre. The album exemplifies the band’s influence on the heavier side of psychedelic music and the drone metal offshoot.
The album’s thematic and sonic insistence on cannabis culture has also made it a touchstone within that community, representing a fusion of music and countercultural identity that resonates strongly within its niche. Sleep’s Dopesmoker not only stands as a milestone in heavy music but also as a symbol of artistic integrity and perseverance.
This is a black vinyl reissue differentiated from previous editions by Southern Lord 20th anniversary logo on the back cover.
Heavy duty gatefold sleeve, not shrinkwrapped from new but instead sealed in a plastic sleeve with two hype stickers attached.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic slip sleeve
Track Listing
Dopesmoker
Dopesmoker
Dopesmoker
Holy Mountain
Sonic Titan
