Metalcatto
In true Sleep fashion, I was too confused to review this on time. The band comes out of nowhere every twenty years, basically. I understand these guys are pioneers of weed Metal and that The Sciences was probably the comeback of that year, but that doesn’t mean I’m not rather skeptical about Hempispheres. Though maybe I’m just not high enough.
So yes, this is all Sleep. Smokey vibes, opaque distortion, slow boiling ideas—you name it. It’s everything you know the band for, and somehow in a rather compact package. The album is short, but relax, because every song feels like playing the bass drunk for three hours. You think it sounds amazing, but the rest of us want to throw you out of a window. Sleep never fails to intoxicate us beyond repair. The riffs are thick, the grooves are hypnotic, and the whole thing feels like being wrapped in a blanket of fuzz.
Just like many times before, Hempispheres has a minimalistic approach to songwriting. You might get hit with the same riff for longer than your first love lasted, especially by the end of the album. You’ll be put into a loop that hopefully will make you feel joy—or just incredibly sick. At times, it’s hard to tell the difference. I have a lot of complaints, by the way. The repetition is part of the charm, but it can also feel like a test of patience.
Many critics have said it before: weed Metal is boring if you don’t hang out with Mary Jane. Yet, old Sleep had some creativity and uniqueness. I sadly feel this is kind of gone in Hempispheres. It’s not that it sounds bad, but it feels like more of the same, which is really hard to sell when your plan is to speculate with two riffs for most of a track. I know this is Sleep‘s style, but this time it just feels less exciting. It’s way too safe. The album doesn’t take the risks that made their earlier work so captivating.
I didn’t hate Hemispheres, I didn’t fall asleep, but I did do my groceries without even flinching while it was on my headphones. That shouldn’t be the case. I should be excited or at least repulsed. Anyway, here’s the great problem: I’ve never been high, so it’s obvious that I’m going to miss Sleep‘s greatness. Maybe that’s on me.
Label: Third Man Records
Release date: September 3rd, 2026
Website: https://sleep.bandcamp.com/album/hempispheres
Country: USA
Score: 2.8/5.0
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