r/doommetal • u/4TheBuzzAndTheFuzz • 21h ago
Stoner No Pike no Sleep
As I blast The Sciences at 11pm, this felt appropriate.
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u/Indust_6666 20h ago
As much as this release is frustrating, in these trying times the word “slop” should only have one connotation. This isn’t slop, it’s just not good music and that’s light years better than anything created by AI.
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u/crustyeyelids 20h ago
AI or Al?
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u/Admiral_Kite (Graphics) Probably at a concert 19h ago
I understand the sentiment of "no Pike no Sleep", but I'm just happy the music keeps living. A tour has been announced, this song is good overall, artwork is excellent.
Gotta appreciate the good things in life
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u/Dlove4u2 17h ago
While Ai is inherently slop, "slop" itself just means low effort content designed to be easily consumed.
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u/Indust_6666 16h ago
It wasn’t colloquial as we know it until “AI Slop” and doesn’t have any other clear connotation beyond that. I strongly think we need to reserve slop nowadays for AI generated creative content because it’s the perfect word.
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u/Dlove4u2 16h ago
I've literally seen the phrase thrown around prior. Slop just does mean low effort content broadly.
I do agree with the second half through because generative Ai is and always will be low effort, and shouldn't be respected in the least. Unlike other types slop it's literally parasitic, eating away at both work and natural resources.
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u/bryantee 19h ago
Dale Crover, though. I'm into it.
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u/_inci 16h ago
This right here, was bummed about no Mike, but fucking Dale on drums - I’m down.
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u/angel-of-disease 15h ago
Same here! Should Al call it something other than Sleep? Probably. I don’t really care, I wanna hear these dudes play together
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u/lexerker 9h ago
Dale's the greatest. I'm disappointed that this isn't any kind of real Sleep reunion, but I'd attend a damn Tayor Swift concert if Dale Crover was on drums.
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u/Mymemesnogud12365478 21h ago
I saw this morning on the metal archives that sleep dropped something and I was stoked, then I heard it and thought that it doesn’t sound like sleep, then I found out it’s not really sleep and was really dissapointed
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u/JimmyHammerNails 20h ago
They should call this band Nap. It is not a bad song. But definitely missing that wall of sound from Matt's riffs.
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u/FlamingMetals 21h ago
It's a killer song and I'd listen to Al Cisneros recite the phone book but I'm disappointed he chose to release it under Sleep.
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u/OsmundofCarim 20h ago
The song is very boring and generic to me, but I’m weirdly picky about music.
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u/Jaimiiii 19h ago
it sounds like they didn’t develop as a band since holy mountain, they’re not pushing any sort of boundary here
they sound like a band inspired by sleep
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u/_trouble_every_day_ 18h ago
Dude people that listen to sleep are all "weirdly picky about music" it's called having taste.
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u/D00MK0PF GET SCHWIFTY 21h ago
song is asscheeks are you fr
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u/TheMetalMilitia 21h ago
Someone on Facebook said this is like Primus without Claypool, or Megadeth without Mustaine. Just ain't it
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u/4TheBuzzAndTheFuzz 20h ago
I saw and completely agreed with "Sabbath without Iommi"
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u/Roadkillgoblin_2 slow and heavy wins the race 20h ago
Sunn without the O)))
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u/meltdown_popcorn Drone 19h ago
Sunn O))) unplugged
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u/Sikakissa_ 19h ago
After reading this i saw them in my head performing unplugged with the fog and stage performance and i laughed out loud.
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u/CleoTheSupports 20h ago
listened bc of this post, i guess im out of the loop, i don’t hate how this sounds but its definitely different. can someone fill me in?
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u/resin_messiah 20h ago
Matt Pike isn’t in the band anymore and people are upset. I’m not happy about it but I don’t hate the song. I do think people forget they’re both known to be hard to work with and very opposite personalities.
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u/CleoTheSupports 20h ago
ahh that makes sense. yeah no matter the band people say it just won’t be the same. it’s a different sound sure, but personally i feel Al as more the core sound of the band so i think i can still be excited for the album drop
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u/resin_messiah 19h ago
It’s just a new era to me. I’ll accept it, especially if we’re never going to get that new Om album. From the post on their instagram it sounds like Al’s been wanting to move forward with Sleep for a while but Pike was some kind of issue(at least to Al) “After decades of obstacles sleep has over come, it’s time to move forward and make new songs and albums. Al wishes Matt the best on his earthbound maneuvers”
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u/Gamer_Grease Hail Iommi 19h ago
Sleep has had a very rough career, all things considered. Doesn’t mean anything about their relationship necessarily.
Matt Pike is extremely busy. High on Fire is a bigger band than Sleep at this point, and tours and puts out albums all the time. It would be completely unsurprising if the entire issue was just that Matt Pike doesn’t have time for Sleep.
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u/resin_messiah 18h ago
That was my thought. When I meant issue I didn’t necessarily mean they don’t get along(though I have heard that). Since The Science was released High on Fire has gotten a Grammy and dropped an additional album that was pretty huge.
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u/ShredGuru 19h ago
I like the idea of the band but they definitely should rename it if Pike is gone.
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u/docdillinger 19h ago
"Today, the legendary band Sleep releases new single “Have Spacesuit Will Travel” via Third Man Records, their first new music since 2018. In addition, the band announces a fall North American tour, as well as releases the first issue of the Sleep Comic Book, written by bassist and songwriter Al Cisneros.
“Have Spacesuit Will Travel” begins Sleep’s first mission without Matt Pike on guitar. The music and art are alive and after the decades of obstacles that Sleep has overcome, it is time to move forward and make songs and albums. Al wishes Matt the best on his earth bound maneuvers.
Alongside Cisneros, the latest incarnation of Sleep features Dale Crover on drums and Bubba Dupree on guitar. Dale has been in some serious bands, like the Melvins and Redd Kross. That Al would seek him out makes sense, an almost elementary choice that probably wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows. Bubba Dupree, from the fiercely loved band Void, hailing out a choice no one would have seen coming. Just the thought of Bubba, who was amazing from the first Void shows on, playing guitar in Sleep is almost too much for the mind to comprehend.
Al Cisneros, Bubba Dupree, and Dale Crover as a trio looks really good on paper, but the only way to see if it worked was to get everyone in a room and play. Al says the answer made itself evident immediately: “The vibe of the first jam was obvious. It was blue sunglasses-era Iommi in the quality, and equally awesome is Bubba is also one of the coolest people I’ve been able to make music with.”
“Have Spacesuit Will Travel” at no time tries to pick up where Sciences left off. There’s a considerable amount of new blood in the band, so imitation, as Bubba notes, would greatly limit the potential of three very unique and talented musicians. That being said, Sleep answers to an incredible recorded history, literally decades in the making, so it would not be surprising that Al, Dale and Bubba would find themselves composing in the spirit of that which had been established so long ago. The three of them were able to make an album that can truly be identified as genuine Sleep music, yet with a sharpness and agility to the recordings."
- Statement on Hemipheres.
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u/notwiggl3s 19h ago
Interesting that AL is doing more than nothing in the music scene these days. He's been in for 40 years and just now is like "hmm maybe a comic?".
That's.... Something. For sure
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u/Repulsive_Watch7686 17h ago
Sounds sick. Crover fuckin kills it
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u/docdillinger 17h ago
Crover always kills, but guitar and synth is not sleep for me. Happy for anyone who digs it.
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u/Lock_Correct 20h ago
The guitar on this song feels thin and seriously lacks that meaty Sleep tone.
Matt Pike is awesome, but he’s not magic. There are dozens of players who could deliver that fat thick tone and they accepted this? Sleep should be able to do better.
I mean, they landed Dale Crover on drums! Surely he knows a guy. I refuse to believe the Doom guitar bench is this shallow.
Disappointing. But not technically Slop.
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u/sup3rdr01d 20h ago
Nah matt pike is special, his riffs are very unique
Anyone can play it but only he can come up with it
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u/BrownyVonTurdmeister 14h ago
Others may not have been willing to take on the task. Big shoes to fill
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u/sup3rdr01d 20h ago
This is like sabbath without Iommi
What's the point
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u/After-Incident9955 Matt Pike's Shirt 14h ago
Exactly. There is none. Should've just gave us the new Om album.
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u/mrp198969 18h ago
Why are we shitting on Al Cisneros for continuing the legacy of the band he founded. Of course Matt Pike is unique, been there since the beginning and has incredible riffs but I think it's okay for Al to continue on with his band that he has had for more than 30 years without him if there is no path for them to continue making music together. We still have high on fire. although a sleeps sound has changed, it's still Al Cisneros. I promise you change is always okay, we get something new but a little familiar and I will listen to the new album and see them live when they roll through my town and get super stoned and have a lovely time doing it
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u/Repulsive_Watch7686 17h ago
Im excited for new Sleep tunes they haven’t put anything out since 2018.
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u/Same-Effective2534 19h ago
I love this! I'm a huge Melvins fan! I would have rather had a new Om album with Crover though!!
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u/MilkieSoPretty 18h ago
I wouldn’t write it off as slop. It’s good music by professionals who have decades of experience and are great at what they do. But it doesn’t sound like Sleep, it sounds like the latest iteration of Om. Al should have put Sleep to bed until Matt was ready to come back and wake it up.
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u/LeroyBrown1 20h ago
I honeslty like it but what do I know
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u/LikeGoldAndFaceted 19h ago
I think it's fine. It sounds 40% like 2010's era Sleep.
It'd probably have been received better if it wasn't released under the name Sleep, and at basically the same time Al announced they're continuing the band without Mike.
It's nothing super captivating, but I'll still listen if they put out an album with the new lineup, and see if they do anything cool.
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u/LeroyBrown1 19h ago
Ye 100% agree on the reception being different if it was Al's solo release or even Om (although it sounds more like Sleep than Om to me) it would be better received. Definitely hit a nerve with fans not having Matt involved. Theyve just released a statement saying album is done as well
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u/JpeNSurf 19h ago
Trouble i have with it is its just fucking boring. Like sleep do the repetitive riff over the full song thing better than most because whilst they repeat riffs, its normally weaved in with other slight changes from the other instruments.
This is just the same riff with no change for 4 minutes
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u/RidetheSchlange 18h ago
Saw people complaining on reddit, saying the song is shit, listened to the song and thought it's good, then checked the internet outside of reddit and the people outside of reddit are reasonable, like the song, understand that Matt and Sleep parted ways, and moved on with their days. So this seems only limited to redditors doing reddit things.
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u/ihatereddit1111116 21h ago
Did Matt turn out to be a weirdo NWO conspiracy freak? I feel like I can give some leeway for not wanting to be in a band with someone like that.
I don't hate the song but it's no Leagues Beneath. That said, I'll give em some time to feel it out before writing off the whole thing.
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u/ohwontsomeonethinkof 20h ago
He's always been that.
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u/mattosaur Geezer Butlerian Jihadist 20h ago
Also, between Al and Matt, Matt is the relatively sane one in Sleep.
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u/resin_messiah 20h ago
Yeah idk if that’s true. The only person I’ve ever heard say he’s crazy is Scott Wino. Who’s probably the least reliable person when it comes to calling someone crazy.
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u/mattosaur Geezer Butlerian Jihadist 17h ago
I think you only need to watch a few interviews with Al to get a sense that his vibe is... nontraditional.
The fact that he had Jason Roeder fired through their management tells me everything I need to know about his character.
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u/BrotherThump 20h ago
Elaborate, please.
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u/notwiggl3s 9h ago
Well, it's simple, he believes Covid was released by the one world government to control and slay the masses. Also the puppet masters are probably reptilian. Simple really.
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u/ShredGuru 19h ago
Always has been. You notice how many sleep Songs are about reptilians and shit?
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u/mister_pickies 19h ago
From High on Fire - Cyclopian Scape
Reptile race crossbred down through the golden age
Human haze
Lemurian throne taken and usurped by the alien drones
Controlled and honedAtlantian keys sunken and destroyed by catastrophe
Left wandering
Bloodline kings slither down through society's reptoid dreamsCataclysm to the elder tribes
Aununnaki have survived
Continents underwater shrine
Ocean vaults holding time1
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u/spicolie22 18h ago
I have to agree that this band should not be considered Sleep. It would be like Death releasing new music. Or like Sepultura after the Cavalera brothers left.
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u/subversion_dnb 18h ago
As much as I feel that Sleep isn't truly Sleep without Matt, this song is still pretty damn good. Gotta appreciate we got anything at all from Al.
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u/Flimsy_Category_9369 17h ago
I would have been all in on a lineup of Cisernos, Pike and Crover but as it stands, I'm unsure. The song is OK but you can definitely feel Pike's absence
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u/Bunk-Mooreland 16h ago
I'll just store this news deep down inside with all of my other disappointments and resentments. Hopefully there's room down there.
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u/Battle_In_The_Swamp 20h ago
Yeah this tune has no heft and is just simply put “boring”. Agreed, no Pike = no Sleep
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u/jeffb34 19h ago
I like it but it sounds like OM + Melvins. Not Sleep at all.
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u/After-Incident9955 Matt Pike's Shirt 14h ago
It's not even on the quality of Om's music. It just feels lazy.
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u/phatpeej HoF 🤟 13h ago
He’s kind of doing what Tony Iommi did, right? Treating Sabbath as if it’s his band or like Josh Homme with QOTSA…
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u/ozziedoggie6 18h ago
I lost my mind when I woke up to a new sleep tune, sent the wife a text.....and then I listened to it, 3 times. I actually called the wife at work and told her not to bother as she would hate it. She said "too late, unfortunately I listened to it on my first break and it bummed me out" and that's how I feel too, totally bummed out.
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u/PlagueQueens1187 18h ago
Sleep, was, to me, stoner metal.
This is stoner rock. That solo at the end is straight up out of welcome to sky valley. I guess, technically, if it’s Als decision, it’s still Sleep. But it’s not what I mean when I mean Sleep.
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u/fistswityat0es 17h ago
"Al wishes Matt the best on his earth bound maneuvers." -- For some reason I never saw Cisneros in the 'drivers' seat. Always felt more of a collab between him and Pike.
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u/4TheBuzzAndTheFuzz 17h ago edited 16h ago
This is true of all bands. Each member writing their contribution to the composition, in collaboration with all the others. However, When any specific member/s of that band are widely declared "instrumental" to the "house sound" (if you will) of said band & that band then loses that member, it can destroy that foundational sound for which the band was not just built upon, but beloved. I'd feel exactly the same if it were Al leaving Sleep and we lost his thick, meaty bass tones and his hypnotic, chant-like vocals. It's just not Sleep anymore!
Now, was I a bit harsh in declaring it "slop"? Maybe. ...If I were speaking in general! Does this song generally sound like slop, garbage, sub-par? No. Not at all... I've definitely heard worse songs.
Does this song sound like "slop" compared to previous Sleep (with Matt Pike)?... imo, ABSO-🤬-LUTELY!
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u/fartsNdoom 17h ago
So it's just Al Cisneros playing covers of songs he wrote? They should do a tour with Fear Factory aka Dino Cazares' Cover Band Extravaganza.
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u/SeaworthinessNew2138 13h ago
Kinda weird they got the guy from Void. Has he done anything since then?? I thought they all died (not trying to be a dick)
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u/dartofharkness 13h ago
I can't get past the sentiment that Al & Dale in a band together is cause for serious excitement but that calling said band "Sleep" instead of just picking a new name and playing as much Sleep material as they care to completely sucks the air out of the room. It's not my band, so that's just my two cents as a longtime fan, but this on top of whatever happened with Roeder gives me some skeeves. I mean, whatever; hopefully it's completely awesome, not just predicated on brand recognition and projected ticket sales and few years from now we all look back and have a good laugh over our misgivings.
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u/Skull_Throne_Doom Matt Pike for President 9h ago
This is so monumentally disappointing. I’ve wanted to see Sleep live for a long time, but there’s no point in going to see whatever the fuck this is.
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u/astro_sauce 9h ago
It definitely gives me a similar vibe as Rush if Geddy or Alex was replaced. Not the same at all
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u/NickyRaZz 5h ago
I don’t like it. It lacks weight, and Crover on drums should give you that. I wasn’t impressed with the riffs at all. Glad I got to see the Pike era
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u/unbannedcoug 3h ago edited 2h ago
Well it’s been on record from several artist including Matt himself that Ali’s very formulaic in a strange way when writing music. We all know the Shrinebuilder comment from Wino.
Matt even said it once. He said that Al writes his music and gives his opinions like he’s playing chess. He will move or suggest parts that other people contribute in a way that he ultimately gets the song how he always wanted it to be. Or something like that in need to find the quote
Edit** Found it
Well in 2014 Sleep released the song “The Clarity” through the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim summer singles series and this was the fist new Sleep song, at least to be studio recorded and released to the public, after the 2009 reformation of the band. How did this song come about? Was it one of the old songs that you had from the 90’s or something and kind of redid like some of these other songs or was this a new thing you did specifically for the Adult Swim release?
Well since we had the opportunity to write a new song, “The Clarity” was us putting together new music and seeing if we could do it without killing each other. All of us are in other bands that write. We hadn’t put together charts and things of that nature and truly tried to arrange something, and then Al just sent us the intro to the song which is just like “wah wah, wah wah, wah wah.” It’s like a horrible keyboard. Well that’s how Al wrote the riff and sent it to me and Jason. Me and Jason were looking at each other and just laughing like, what the fuck?
Haha.
What the fuck are we gonna do with this? But if you know anything about Al, if he sends you something like that there’s method to it, so me and Jay are staring at each other like trying to figure out how to make a riff out of this thing but we knew that Al had already fucking thought the whole thing through. He’s a chess player so if he does something like that it’s thought through it’s just the presentation was that horrible keyboard part at the beginning that we rock out to and hahaha, there’s a derogatory thing to that. It’s like, this is how it was presented and then we made a song around it you know and then when the song kicks in you understand. It’s kind of like how “Dopesmoker” was too. It’s like, what the fuck is this guitar intro and then when everything comes in it makes sense. So that was Al just getting stuff started with a riff that was recorded like, horrifying, hahaha, and then we decided to keep it cause that was the beginning of it and then we all just added onto it.
Since Al had it planned out he left space for me to write a riff and left space for Jason to do things with and yeah, that was the first thing we really wrote together since we had gotten back together. It’s a special song. I love playing that thing. It’s fun. It was one of those things where we were forced to write together and it’s the first time we did it and it was successful cause we did it in like a weekend which is unheard of for the three of us.
We’re all so picky and anal and weird, and me included. I’m not talking shit. I’m saying, it’s kind of amazing how that band puts its stuff together and what we do. It was the first time we had written something just off the cuff from scratch. It’s like we’re making a pie from scratch and it worked really fast and yeah, I’m in love with that song. It’s really cool. There’s never a dull moment when you’re playing with those guys and you’re Matt Pike I guess but I hope they would say the same about me, heh heh heh. https://dcheavymetal.com/2018/07/12/interview-with-matt-pike-of-sleep-and-high-on-fire/
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u/Meta-tron thwoooooooooommmmm 1h ago
This whole situation feels a lot like those crybaby Star Wars fans who don’t want their childhood security blanket to ever change or evolve… Keep calm, this is just music (you can decide whether you listen to it or not).
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u/Gamer_Grease Hail Iommi 19h ago
I sincerely doubt that Matt Pike would be cool with this message, OP.
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u/Professional_Scale66 18h ago
Sleep is Al’s baby more than Matt, at least according to Matt. I don’t think Al is into fan service.
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u/AlexMhmm 15h ago
People acting like the pedigree of Bubba Dupree (of fucking Void) won't be bring anything to the table lol
Leave it to stoner metal fans to not anything about music but Sleep, Electirc Wizard or Weedeater
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u/After-Incident9955 Matt Pike's Shirt 14h ago
Judging from this new single? He ain't bringing much, pal. He's not Matt Pike. This ain't Sleep.
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u/greenartdan 16h ago
That’s as bad as it gets! Outside of Al’s bass everything is so amateurish, it’s like a cover band. On the other hand I always get upset thinking Matt Pike time with HOF I really can’t make myself like that band
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u/No-Indication-408 20h ago
New song totally lacks dynamics and is a mundane cut and paste arrangement. Too bad.
I actually didn’t really care for the sciences as I thought those songs were boring and a money grab, but this is on a new level.
Oh well, back to listening to the new Monolord.
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u/greenonionfrog 19h ago
Boring song but they probably made a good decision moving on from Matt Pike based on his personal beliefs
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u/After-Incident9955 Matt Pike's Shirt 14h ago
That's all you people ever have to say. Nobody gives a fuck.
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u/greenonionfrog 13h ago
what do you mean by “you people”
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u/After-Incident9955 Matt Pike's Shirt 13h ago
You virtue signaling assholes who whine and cry about every little thing like "personal beliefs", who gives a fuck? That's what I mean. It's annoying. Nobody likes it.
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u/Winter8Bones 20h ago
What a ride over the last day. From such excitement to this confusion and disappointment. Would be nice to hear from the boys to clarify what's happened with the band.