Dopesmoker

Dopesmoker

Track Listings

1. Dopesmoker

2. Sonic Titan

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
While pundits often seem eager to throw the adjective "uncompromising" at any rock musician with more than three nipple-rings, what we have here is the real deal. After haphazardly embarking on their intensely single-minded career in the late-'80s, Northern California's pioneering prophets of doom-metal took the opportunity of a '90s major-label advance to record a 63-plus-minute magnum opus to ganja and other Valhalla-friendly political conceits that effectively cost them same promising record deal and embroiled them in enough turmoil to permanently splinter the band. Cut by nearly a dozen minutes, the track eventually surfaced in ‘99 to some critical acclaim as "Jerusalem." But now, sounding like a hung-over Thor awakening from a three-century bender, the original hour-plus "Dopesmoker" returns to stake its claim as the heaviest, if minimally expansive metal dirge of them all, with founder/vocalist Al Cisneros's massive bass drone and tortured growl making for a hypnotic, if harrowing, listening experience. This new edition also includes the previously unreleased, live-in-the-studio "Sonic Titan," a comparatively upbeat drone that breezes in at just under 10 minutes. --Jerry McCulley

Tracks:

Dopesmoker
Sonic Titan

Amazon.com

While pundits often seem eager to throw the adjective "uncompromising" at any rock musician with more than three nipple-rings, what we have here is the real deal. After haphazardly embarking on their intensely single-minded career in the late-'80s, Northern California's pioneering prophets of doom-metal took the opportunity of a '90s major-label advance to record a 63-plus-minute magnum opus to ganja and other Valhalla-friendly political conceits that effectively cost them same promising record deal and embroiled them in enough turmoil to permanently splinter the band. Cut by nearly a dozen minutes, the track eventually surfaced in `99 to some critical acclaim as "Jerusalem." But now, sounding like a hung-over Thor awakening from a three-century bender, the original hour-plus "Dopesmoker" returns to stake its claim as the heaviest, if minimally expansive metal dirge of them all, with founder/vocalist Al Cisneros's massive bass drone and tortured growl making for a hypnotic, if harrowing, listening experience. This new edition also includes the previously unreleased, live-in-the-studio "Sonic Titan," a comparatively upbeat drone that breezes in at just under 10 minutes. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Matt Pike Should Have Done The Vocals On This........2007-04-02

My only complaint and I still give it five stars. It's not about playing fast, or even the fact that this is heavier than hell. It's the way Sleep strung the whole song together. By the end of the song, like 64 minutes, if you haven't been smoking, you'll sure as hell feel like you have. Not many bands can pull that off. Matt Pike's future, High On Fire, can certainly do it, old Sabbath without a doubt, Electric Wizard's Dopethrone. Matt Pike's vocals would have made it that much heavier, in my opinion. Still, one of the heaviest metal releases, ever. Worth the price to be in your collection of CD's heavy enough to level the earth.

no really this sucks ..........2007-02-12

I loved 'holy mountain' but really this sucks, long, repetitive and requiring chemical support to listen to.

Good even if yr not stoned!.......2006-12-11

I have a strong feeling that the dudes who made this record were getting stoned one day listening to "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath and one of them said to the group, "Dudes, what if this song was slowed down... so slow that it was an hour long? What would that sound like man?" And then they all agreed it would be pretty heavy for that to happen, then they sat in silence pondering this discovery... got even more stoned, picked up their guitars and recorded this album.

All that said, I have never smoked weed in my life and I think this record rules. Recomended to stoners, metal fans, or anybody really.

'Heavy ' is just a word.......2006-10-26

Smoke; thundering drums of doom; more smoke; hulking buffalo-fuzz bass lines; imposing, gnarly soot-caked riffs played on the crustiest guitar ever fretted; shaggy green sasquatch-like vocals that do more chanting than singing; lyrics chronicling bong-fogged Biblical events.
Sleep opened the portal to something ancient, sprawling, slow as molasses and vivid as a vietnam flashback.
Not exactly 'Stoner Rock' , Sleep were more like spiritual shamans. Having little to do with Reggae musically, but from the same realm as Rastafari Holy men like Bob marley. this album is its own genre.
i believe this is an earlier, extended version of 'Jerusalem'. it sounds a lot clearer , and a lot rawer, which for this type of music, is of course ideal. the bonus live track is buoyant in contrast. song-wise it sounds like a lost Holy Mountain tune.
the artwork is pretty bitchin too, courtesy of Arik Roper.
if you like your Doom transcendental , loud , and numbingly heavy , this is the ticket. turn on , tune in , drop out...Mmaaaaaannnn

THE Epic Piece of Riff Worship.......2006-10-08

After a deal of critical acclaim following the fantastic "Holy Mountain" album, Sleep found their way into new ground with a bigger label deal and well, lots of money. The band used this money to buy loads of weed, and amps, lots of amps. Out of this they created "Jerusalem", an epic journey of riffs and silly lyrics about weed pilgrims and the likes. The problem was that it was too inaccessible for most labels, and it drifted into obscurity. But thankfully those wondrous people at Tee Pee have re-released a longer, heavier, and generally better sounding mix of the original, the aptly named "Dopesmoker". It contains all the massively fuzzed-out riffs and trippy, disorientating guitar solos that anyone could ever want.

For those new to Sleep, this is probably not the place to start, as it is one huge hour-long monolith, and their LP "Holy Mountain" is easier on the stomach and equally mesmerising. For those with the old "Jerusalem" I would advise you to try this, the guitar tone is much richer and Pike's solos are far superior, especially the first solo that comes in around the 14 minute ****, it is jaw-droppingly splendid. His feel for the solo is what makes it special, he plays with such flow and ease it reminisces that Hendrix fluidity that only the most gifted guitarists can pull off. Other moments of excellence include around 40 minutes, the band slows everything down, stripping the fuzzy guitars to play a simple motif. It acts as a perfect break from the engulfing sounds, and works its way wonderfully to my favourite riff in the songs entirety. The album also includes a live track called Sonic Titan, a kind of re-working of the title track from "Holy Mountain", an enjoyable song but it feels more of a collector's item than a necessity.

Special mention should also go to drummer Chris Haikus, who managed to keep the flow going with apparent ease. He never misses a beat or comes in from a fill slightly out of time, a great feat when you consider this version was recorded in one sitting live.

If you are a fan of 70s metal, big riffs, fuzzy tones and ethereal guitar solos then you really cannot go wrong with this. My only warning would be to those who lack concentration, as this is one massively long piece with moments of disorientating repetition, but I assume you wouldn't even be on this page if you can't handle a song over 4 minutes.

Music Info:

Music Info

music info

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