SLEEP — Volume One

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SLEEP - Volume One cover
3.94 | 14 ratings | 2 reviews
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Album · 1991

Filed under Doom Metal
By SLEEP

Tracklist

1. Stillborn (6:18)
2. The Suffering (5:12)
3. Numb (3:30)
4. Anguish (5:37)
5. Catatonic (6:04)
6. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (4:47)
7. The Wall of Yawn (5:32)
8. Prey (3:46)
9. Scourge (5:02)

Total Time: 45:52

Line-up/Musicians

Al Cisneros - bass guitar, vocals
Matt Pike - electric guitar
Justin Marler - electric guitar
Chris Hakius - drums

About this release

Recorded at Razor's Edge S.F.,California.

Cover image is Salvador Dali's painting "Soft self-portrait with fried bacon".

Label: Tupelo Recording Company

Thanks to Prog Geo, aglasshouse for the updates

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siLLy puPPy
Initially formed as Asbestosdeath by the trio of Al Cisneros (vocals, bass), Chris Hakius (drums) and Tom Choi (guitars), the band that would become SLEEP released two EPs under that moniker before ultimately losing Choi who would go on to form bands like Noothgrush and then adding guitarist Matt Pike for changing its name to the more familiar one. In the beginning, Asbestosdeath was an extreme sludge metal band much more in the vein of Eyehategod than the fuzz maestros that cranked out such classics as “Sleep’s Holy Mountain” and “Dopesmoker” but during this intermediate stage SLEEP retained some of the sludge magic mojo while steering its sound more into a plodding doom metal band with sludgy accoutrements.

The band’s two EPs as Asbestosdeath only featured four tracks and all of them were reworked and re-recorded to fit into the band’s doom metal sound that was released with five new tracks on SLEEP’s debut album VOLUME ONE which came out the following year in 1991. Unfortunately Justin Marler would soon depart the world of music to start a life as a monk but stuck around long enough to participate in this album which is SLEEP’s only one to feature four members instead of the power trio they are known to be on future releases. This album found two simultaneous releases with the vinyl appearing on the Very Small label and the CD on Tupelo.

For anyone familiar with the stoner metal fuzz of the band’s later albums, this debut may come as quite a surprise as it is much more focused on the compositions rather than a meditative fuzz frenzy that would soon follow. In the album’s near 46 minute run the procession of the tracks range from quite and completive to furious and angst ridden. The opening chants prognostic the medicative route the band would soon embark upon but the music soon becomes choppy jagged guitar riffs tamed into doom ridden chunks although the sludge distortion and screamed vocals remains on VOLUME ONE.

While the riffs often have a Black Sabbath feel to them, the Eyehategod sludge methodology is also present and SLEEP finds itself in between the two styles somewhat equidistantly with moments of one aspect or the other dominating. There are also breaks that find bass led grooves lead the guitar and drums into complex almost progressive interludes and the vocals calm down to weird narrative prose. The album is well paced as the moments of slower pastiches mixed with the rampaging metal heft are perfectly nurtured for all the right effects to unleash. The dueling guitars may not seem prominent but adds an interesting off-kilter counterpoint to the overall mix. The drumming is often simplistic as in some sludge metal but Hakius also provided some stellar workouts including interesting cymbal action.

VOLUME ONE doesn’t seem to get nearly as much love as SLEEP’s following stoner metal releases but i find this to be one compelling slab of molten metal madness that perfectly fuses the best of sludge metal with the traditional doom styles of the 70s. The musicians are all top notch and throw in some excellent technical workouts from time to time between the plodding slow paced procession throughout the album. The tracks aren’t at all predictable with meandering riffing styles generating a series of unexpected deviations from a simple chord dominated style of doom metal. IMHO this one is woefully under-appreciated as doom metal aficionados seem to write SLEEP off as a stoner metal band and for some reason the stoner crowds don’t find this one to be very compelling. In many ways i find this debut to be the most interesting SLEEP album of all although i have to admit i’m a sucker for that fiery fuzz that follows.
aglasshouse
Sleep's debut is everything a debut should be: a spotlight of everything that the band stood for and would continue to stand for in the future. The slow dragging of lead footed guitar grinds that nod sleepily along to the heart-pounding jam of the drums was something doom metal, especially the stonerriffic Sleep's brand, would be known for. A small con, if you could call it that, is the hoarse, screaming vocals of Al Cisneros, whose style is very akin to Page Hamilton of Helmet. The only difference being Helmet's addition of noise rock to their alternative metal slamming style filled in any amateurish gaps that Hamilton's voice didn't. Cisneros has the problem that he has a lower quality voice, and sticks out a bit from the music. Even with that, Volume One does utilize a dream-like metal state (very truthful to the band's nomenclature), advertised well with Dali's fried bacon portrait. This album's darker tone would be left behind slightly in subsequent albums, so you can expect some uniqueness that you wouldn't find in the rest of the band's discography. Great start!

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  • BitterJalapeno
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