Sleep
Sleep is an American stoner/doom metal band from San Jose, California. Bassist and vocalist Al Cisneros has been the only constant member throughout the band's history. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on metal in the 1990s.
The band was formed in 1990 with Cisneros, guitarist Matt Pike, drummer Chris Hakius and fourth member Justin Marler. Marler left after the band's debut album, Volume One (1991). Their second album, Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992), gained the band wider attention. However, a conflict with London Records regarding the marketability of their third album Dopesmoker led to Sleep's breakup in 1998; the album was ultimately released in its original form in 2003. Both Holy Mountain and Dopesmoker have been acclaimed as doom metal and stoner metal classics.
During the breakup, Pike formed High on Fire while Cisneros and Hakius formed Om. Sleep reformed in 2009 with Neurosis drummer Jason Roeder replacing Hakius. The band surprise-released their comeback album The Sciences in 2018. In 2026, the band unveiled a new lineup replacing Roeder and Pike with Melvins drummer Dale Crover and former Void guitarist Bubba Dupree and released their new album, Hempispheres.
Similar Artists