Sleep’s Hempispheres: The Return of the Legends

 

Have Spacesuit Will Travel hits hard. That combination of Al Cisneros’s powerful bass and the drums of newcomer Dale Crover blows anyone’s mind. Bubba Dupree was the guitarist Soundgarden once wanted to add to the band and couldn’t, according to the book Screaming Life by guitarist Kim Thayil. Dupree handles the guitars on this Hempispheres, another return from one of the greatest stoner bands in history, Sleep.

The controversy starts when you ask yourself whether Sleep, with Al Cisneros as the only original member, is still Sleep or a mutated version of Om, Cisneros’s band. Here the drums of Crover, the legendary Melvins drummer, and the guitar of Dupree, former guitarist of the hardcore band Void, make the difference. Crover’s drums are restless in a way that Om’s drums are not.

It is a fact that Dupree had a big influence on the guitars of Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, so it does not surprise me that this Sleep sometimes suddenly sounds like the Melvins. Let’s not forget that Toshi Kasai, producer of the Melvins and Tool, handled the recording of the album. Will this version of Sleep ever merge with the Melvins at some point?

The Morrisist still shows that characteristic mind-bending sound of the band, but it must be noted that the production is more elaborate and less raw, and Dupree’s guitars sound a bit restrained compared to the guitars of Matt Pike, the band’s previous guitarist, while Crover completely steals the attention with an astonishing performance behind the kit.

Hempispheres, a reference to the album by another trio, Rush and their Hemispheres, is sinister without falling into the rawness of the original Sleep. Arrival of the Industry Ships is perhaps the slowest track on this record. Cisneros’s bass roars between Crover’s drum hits and the sound brings to mind the legendary early Black Sabbath albums.

It is clear that Sleep wanted to do something different and that Crover makes a big difference. Maybe the one who falls a bit short here is Dupree, who holds back and only shines in a few very limited moments. Although Crover takes charge of recharging the band’s sound, Pike’s guitar is missed, and it seems Dupree either wanted to keep his distance or respected it too much.

Hempispheres does the incredible and keeps the high quality of the extraordinary catalog the band possesses. There is no questioning Dupree’s ability, and it is very possible that for a potential next album he will return with a greater vengeful spirit. The Om vibe wins out, although Crover proves to be a decisive factor in keeping the distance.