If you enjoy your weed with a side of Black Sabbath then surely you're familiar with the iconic stoner rock trio known as Sleep. Their rise to glory is the stuff of legends. After putting out two well received albums of solid riffage in the early nineties rumors began to swirl about a stoner rock anthem they'd recorded, a 64-minute magnum opus called "Dopesmoker" which opened with the lines "Drop out of life with bong in hand. Follow the smoke toward the riff filled land." Oh yeah. But despite fan curiosity the existence of this song remained mostly a mysterious topic on message boards for years.
Sleep's record label wanted to break Dopesmoker into radio friendly cuts but the band wouldn't have it. The legal battle dragged on, the band split up, and Dopesmoker languished in the vault. Finally, over a decade later the band got back together and in 2012 issued a remastered version of the song, uncut, the way they'd always wanted it. Legions of weed rockers fired up their bongs and rejoiced. The song, it turned out, was truly awesome, far more than just a maryjane-fueled gimmick. Sleep began to tour again and in 2017 the band posted this titillating picture of a dinner plate full of weed on a recording console, sparking grand hopes of a new album of material:
pic.twitter.com/11aLjwnoFk
— Sleep (@sleep_official) April 6, 2017
That new album, The Sciences, dropped this spring, on 4/20, the high holy day of cannabis culture, and, praise be, it wasn't just a retread reunion album. Sleep's first new studio album in over 20 years kicks ass, taking their sweet wall of haze to new levels. So it was no surprise that when the band came to Portland Wednesday night the show sold out. All of Portland's doom metal/stoner rockdom came to pay their respects, and the band did not disappoint.
Yes, the air around Roseland was filled with a sweet familiar smell as much of downtown Portland experienced a contact high during the pre-show ritual time. Fans filed in with bloodshot eyes, ready to have their faces melted. Seattle duo Bell Witch opened the festivities with roughly an hour of brutal dirge doom. This laid the groundwork nicely for the band we all came to see. After a strange 12 minute audio recording of a mission control space landing, Sleep took the stage and delivered the goods.
It's truly nice to see a band hitting their prime in their 40's. This really isn't just optimistic smoke blowing. Sleep is making their best music right now, clearly feeling the joy of creativity along with the satisfaction of worthy recognition. Guitarist Matt Pike strolled the stage shirtless and pot bellied in front of a ridiculous wall of Orange amplifiers. Singer/Bassist Al Cisneros looks like a cult leader these days, his unruly beard specked with grey and his thinning hair long and unkempt. Drummer Jason Roeder was relentless, providing a thunderous beat underneath Cisneros' crazy lyrics about reptile masters and frozen civilizations emerging from beneath Antarctica's melting ice.
Here's a pic of Matt Pike's amplifier set-up for you guitar nerds:
The whole show was massive and the crowd stayed till the bitter end. Shortly before midnight the band launched into the opening chords of "Dopesmoker" and we all wondered if it was going to be a very late night indeed. They didn't play the full 64 minute version, but that was okay. Our ears were ringing well into the morning just the same.
