Sleep
Hempispheres
Album · Metal · 2026 · Third Man Records
Stoner metal fans worldwide felt a seismic shift in the wake of Sleep’s 2026 lineup reconfiguration. Though some lamented the departures of co-founder Matt Pike and reunion-era drummer Jason Roeder, low-end shaman Al Cisneros forges ahead, leading a redoubtable new trio poised to bring the band into its next era.
Beginning with the heady cosmic jam “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” Hempispheres [sic] showcases the talents of freshly installed members Dale Crover and Bubba Dupree, whose respective experiences with groups like Melvins and Void unlock unheard facets of the group’s potential. Serving as the album’s celestial centerpiece, the title track accentuates its splendid sprawl with tight rhythmic curves and hazy riffage.
Traces of Cisneros and Crover’s work together in short-lived supergroup Shrinebuilder seep through on the doomy groove of “The Morrisist,” while Dupree’s bluesy tendencies add sinew to girthy Frankensteined closer “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked.”
Our Favorite Track: While certainly not as monumental as Sleep’s hourlong tour de force “Dopesmoker,” the 11-minute “Arrival of the Industry Ships” reveals the new ensemble’s innate propensity for cannabis-inspired sci-fi sagas.
Beginning with the heady cosmic jam “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” Hempispheres [sic] showcases the talents of freshly installed members Dale Crover and Bubba Dupree, whose respective experiences with groups like Melvins and Void unlock unheard facets of the group’s potential. Serving as the album’s celestial centerpiece, the title track accentuates its splendid sprawl with tight rhythmic curves and hazy riffage.
Traces of Cisneros and Crover’s work together in short-lived supergroup Shrinebuilder seep through on the doomy groove of “The Morrisist,” while Dupree’s bluesy tendencies add sinew to girthy Frankensteined closer “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked.”
Our Favorite Track: While certainly not as monumental as Sleep’s hourlong tour de force “Dopesmoker,” the 11-minute “Arrival of the Industry Ships” reveals the new ensemble’s innate propensity for cannabis-inspired sci-fi sagas.
Hempispheres
Sleep
Stoner metal fans worldwide felt a seismic shift in the wake of Sleep’s 2026 lineup reconfiguration. Though some lamented the departures of co-founder Matt Pike and reunion-era drummer Jason Roeder, low-end shaman Al Cisneros forges ahead, leading a redoubtable new trio poised to bring the band into its next era.
Beginning with the heady cosmic jam “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” Hempispheres [sic] showcases the talents of freshly installed members Dale Crover and Bubba Dupree, whose respective experiences with groups like Melvins and Void unlock unheard facets of the group’s potential. Serving as the album’s celestial centerpiece, the title track accentuates its splendid sprawl with tight rhythmic curves and hazy riffage.
Traces of Cisneros and Crover’s work together in short-lived supergroup Shrinebuilder seep through on the doomy groove of “The Morrisist,” while Dupree’s bluesy tendencies add sinew to girthy Frankensteined closer “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked.”
Our Favorite Track: While certainly not as monumental as Sleep’s hourlong tour de force “Dopesmoker,” the 11-minute “Arrival of the Industry Ships” reveals the new ensemble’s innate propensity for cannabis-inspired sci-fi sagas.
Beginning with the heady cosmic jam “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” Hempispheres [sic] showcases the talents of freshly installed members Dale Crover and Bubba Dupree, whose respective experiences with groups like Melvins and Void unlock unheard facets of the group’s potential. Serving as the album’s celestial centerpiece, the title track accentuates its splendid sprawl with tight rhythmic curves and hazy riffage.
Traces of Cisneros and Crover’s work together in short-lived supergroup Shrinebuilder seep through on the doomy groove of “The Morrisist,” while Dupree’s bluesy tendencies add sinew to girthy Frankensteined closer “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked.”
Our Favorite Track: While certainly not as monumental as Sleep’s hourlong tour de force “Dopesmoker,” the 11-minute “Arrival of the Industry Ships” reveals the new ensemble’s innate propensity for cannabis-inspired sci-fi sagas.
