Customer Reviews

Dopesmoker

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Holy mother of GOD is this heavy. A more proper length and mix of "Jerusalem", this newly released juggernaut realizes the band's vision of their much-publicized and infamous uber-dirge, complete with more emphasis on the rhythym section's power when necessary and 13 minutes of added music. No longer broken into six separate tracks that run into each other, "Dopesmoker" is one 65-minute track and a bonus live recording of "Sonic Titan", where one can hear a smidgen of what sounds like a High on Fire riff here and there.

This version promises to blow out speakers of all kinds, as Al's bass is far heavier and prominent, but only when it's necessary. Pike's guitar is slightly edgier and compliments the newly restored bass sound nicely, leads screaming and clearer. Chris's drumming turns out to be an underrated part of "Dopesmoker", as you hear new and unearthed parts of his thundering backbeat that were otherwise overshadowed on "Jerusalem"

Best heard on a customized mix (preferrably with the bass turned slightly down for balance), "Dopesmoker" can take it's place as a fully established classic among the doom/stoner/drone genre, a far overdue release that will satisfy fanatics of crushingly heavy riffing and long improv. You'll feel it in your chest.

Smoke; Thundering drums; More smoke; Hulking buffalo-fuzz bass lines; Towering resin-caked riffs played on the crustiest guitar ever fretted; Shaggy green sasquatch-like vocals that do more chanting than singing; Lyrics chronicling bong-fogged Old Testament events.
Sleep opened a portal to something ancient, epic, vast, slow as molasses and as vivid as a Vietnam flashback, and raised the bar unattainably HIGH for stoner rock/doom bands that followed.
Not exactly 'Stoner Rock' though, Sleep were more like shamans. Having little to do with Reggae musically, but from the same realm as Rastafari Holymen. This album is its own genre. There's nothing angry or hostile about any of it, but its the HEAVIEST music I've ever heard.
This is an earlier, extended version of 'Jerusalem'. Theres more space in the recording, not so dense. It sounds a lot rawer, which, for this type of music of course, is ideal. The added live track "Sonic Titan", is buoyant in contrast, sounds kinda like a "Holy Mountain" song.
The Arik Roper artwork is pretty bitchin too.
If you like it transcendental, loud, and numbingly heavy, this is the ticket. Turn on, tune in, drop out...Maaaaaannnn!

I bought Dopesmoker on CD while already owning Jerusalem, and I thought I'd share my views.

I was actually a little disappointed when I first heard Jerusalem some years ago. I thought: Yikes! This is long and boring and not very heavy. Not as good as Volume 1, I thought.

It's a bit tricky to compare the two on CD - Dopesmoker is one long track while Jerusalem is split into six. This means that, to compare the two records by listening to the same portion, one has to hold the FF or REW down on the CD player on Dopesmoker for a good few seconds.

Dopesmoker is longer. It takes longer to get going, but it also repeats a section that is my favourite part of Jerusalem: in track 4 (Jerusalem) or roughly 45 min (Dopesmoker), there is a section after the quiet part where the bass really sings out BONGGG BONGGG - this is repeated in Dopesmoker to great effect, whereas Jerusalem goes straight into the "spliff aflame" lyric.

Artwork: Dopesmoker CD comes in an attractive card sleeve, with excellent psychedelic artwork, fore and aft, inside and out. Jerusalem is cheaper looking, but comes with lyrics, a cute bright green CD, and a great picture of a coconut bong. It's up to you.

Dopesmoker is louder: I found this useful on headphones: Jerusalem had to be turned all the way up on my portable player, while Dopesmoker wasn't maxxed out.

The second long (twangy) guitar solo seems to sound better on Dopesmoker, I think, probably because the sound is bigger generally. Also, I spotted a tiny bit of echo on the vocals somewhere in the mix, not there in Jerusalem.

Dopesmoker begins with a cute little flourish, while Jerusalem does not.

Still, comparing Dopesmoker with Jerusalem directly, on the same stereo, I was surprised to find that I actually prefer Jerusalem. Dopesmoker is definately bigger and bassier, but Jerusalem is trancier and more together. This is purely a subjective response, and I think others will definately disagree with me.

Also, Jerusalem is split into 6 tracks. I know the band hated it, but it's pretty sensible. I usually listen from track 2 (the way the tracks are split is intelligent and it goes into a great riff), or listen from track 4 (my favourite portion). Purists among you, don't be angry. Actually, Dopesmoker comes with extra track Sonic Titan, but I think it's a waste of time, except it allows you to jump to the end of track 1 (Dopesmoker) and rewind it if your favourite chunk is somewhere near the end.

52 minutes is more tolerable than 64.

I traded my copy of Dopesmoker, but it certainly reawakened my interest in Jerusalem. These are two very similar records anyway: I'd buy whichever one takes your fancy on a whim. You're better off with the groovy Holy Mountain or the lovely Volume 1, though!

Before Matt Pike formed the excellent doom metal outfit High On Fire, he took part in one of the most uncompromising stoner jams of all time with the band Sleep. I'm not particularly interested in Sleep's other works--the general consensus is that they are little more than Black Sabbath tribute records, but Dopesmoker/Jerusalem is pretty unique. The differences between Dopesmoker and Jerusalem: Dopesmoker is longer by about 10 minutes, has better production, cooler cover artwork (in my opinion anyway), and is not arbitrarily sliced up into parts like Jerusalem. Jerusalem was edited by their record label--the band hated it, but it does make this jam a bit more accessible (and you can skip ahead to the parts you like if it gets boring). Also Dopesmoker contains an additional 10-minute track labeled Sonic Titan, recorded live.

Anyway, back to the title track: It is an hour-plus long jam; the motif is established early on, and most of Dopesmoker is a series of variations on that main riff. It is monotonous, droning, SLLLLOOOOWWWWW, and oh yeah, heavier than a herd of pachyderms. This album will seriously test the limits of your sound system if you're going to play it at the appropriate volume (which of course is loud enough to be mistaken for low-flying 747's). The bass alone will exact a pounding on your chest cavity.

Musically, it is good despite the monotony. Pike's solos are excellent, as usual, and Chris Haikus beats the skins capably. Cisnero's vocals are sparse but perfect in conveying that hazy atmosphere, and the lyrics are about Christ and pot ("green herbsmen serve rightful king"...duuude). Definitely different from your average metal.

Needless to say, something like this has very limited appeal and is kind of tough to rate. Even some fans of the genre are going to find Dopesmoker a boring experience without, um, certain controlled substances. I for one think Dopesmoker is pretty good. It's very trance-inducing and atmospheric "ambient metal" that is well off the beaten path. I can't see that many people listening to an album like this all the time, but it should be experienced at least once. If you like the sound but prefer more abbreviated song structures, pick up High On Fire's Surrounded By Thieves.

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.

This is it...tune in, tune out baby, let the RIFFs wash over you and shield you from the non-believers of this world-this is the reality, this is TRUTH, this is the gospel according to RIFF, delivered to us by the mighty prophet Pike, he who hath been chosen to carry the torch that the beloved prophet Iommi hath lit oh so long ago...are you with us? Shall you be guided through the darkness, will you let the RIFF enlighten you and ignite your soul? Do not neglect the teachings of the prophets Buzzo, Wata, O'Malley, Anderson and Wyndorf as well-with the power shared, the RIFF shall overcome.

This is the real deal. I've been a peripheral Sleep fan for years, and I picked up "Jerusalem" when it became available in '99. I remember listening to it for the first time, listening to that one occasionly (but-not-too-often) altered low C note. 52 minutes of drone. Being a fan of the concept album but more familiar with the likes of Operation Mindcrime and any number of Pink Floyd albums, I expected more...parts. Segments. A story. So while I was moved by Jerusalem, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It would take me years to realize what it was Sleep were trying to accomplish with this record, and how thoroughly they had in fact achieved that goal.

Fast forward 5 years. Jerusalem's been growing on me. I'm outgrowing the silliness of more "progressive" concept albums. Perfect timing for the release of a new version of "Jerusalem." Titled "Dopesmoker," this version is 11 minutes longer and mixed waaaay better. It's my understanding that this is actually a different "take" of the song, not just "Jersusalem" with 11 restored minutes.

Whatever it is, it is amazing. It completes the album, along with my grasp of the song. The bass is far more present; Cisnero's fills move around under the droning guitar, giving the monolithic riffs far more depth. Particularly impressive is the separation of the bass' open low C and its 12th fret octave.

The drums are also more present, and we are treated to an awesome moment of Haikus "awakening" at about the 35 minute point. What this album does is make you pay attention to EVERY note. There is a method to the droning madness, and each note, particularly that subterranean C, sets up anticipation of the next. I believe the thing clocks in at about 60 bpm, so you have ample time to catch your breath before the next note pulls you back under.

"Sonic Titan," a live recording of a previously unreleased Sleep original, is icing on the cake. 10 minutes long, it has a bit more in common with "Holy Mountain," though elements of the almost hypnotic riff cycles that define "Dopesmoker" and are explored even further on the Om records (Haikus and Cisneros minus Pike) are present. The recording quality isn't as good as on "Dopesmoker," but its still a great tune.

What else can I say? A classic, a brilliant, truly progressive journey to the boundaries of metal and music. The ones who get it, get it. The ones who don't have yet to learn to listen for the right reasons.

Quite simply, this album is for me the definitive example of stoner rock. Sleep really managed to transcend all the limitations of the genre with this album by magnifying and stretching stoner rock/metal's elements to an extreme rarely ever attempted, let alone achieved with this much success.

Be warned: this album is not for the casual metal fan. It is repetitive, droning and it unfolds at a glacial pace. The vocals are sung in a hoarse monotone and the lyrics can be ridiculously over the top: "Drop out of life with bong in hand / follow pot smoke toward the riff filled land".

But somehow, Sleep managed to take these elements and turn them into a bona fide masterpiece. The length of the song actually works in its favor -- there is simply no other way that these fuzzed out, C-tuned riffs, played at unbelievably slow, heavy tempos, could otherwise be developed the way they deserve to be. The band plays together with supernatural chemistry, grasping the sprawling changes with precision. There are also excellent uses of dynamics utilizing stops and starts and changes in volume, and a few cosmic solos from Matt Pike, too.

And about those silly lyrics: I suppose there is an element of humor to them, but the way they are delivered by Cisneros and the roiling power of the band backing him up manages to transcend any campiness. By the end of the record you aren't laughing at the words and the story they tell, but getting ready to rid yourself of all worldly posessions to join the procession of "weedians" on their long journey to Nazareth. It's a neat trick, to be able to use that sort of comic-book imagery to preach a quite sincere religion of marijuana use. Only Sleep has really been able to pull it off this well in the metal world.

Yes, like the title of the record and the lyrics certainly imply, this is a great album for doing a few bong hits and zoning out on the deep spaces and mountanous riffs. Sleep weren't just unshy about promoting pot smoking, cannabis worship was very nearly the band's entire reason for existing in the first place. It's a record by and for pot heads, obviously.

But you don't need to be high to enjoy this. The musicianship alone makes it worth hearing, and the gloriously fuzzed-out, detuned guitars are every metalhead's wet dream. I have listened dozens times to this record. While it's too demanding a listen to be the sort of CD you would would want on heavy rotation, I find myself pulling it out every few months and giving it another spin when I want to truly get lost in titanic riffs for an hour or so.

An essential album for any fan of heavy music, and one of the best metal albums ever. Hard to beat.

It's good that there are things in the world that are absurdly

huge, ludicrously long, deeply heavy. This album is one of them.

This review, on the other hand, is not.

This album *is* cool. Check it out.

Dopesmoker is heavy, in the heaviest way possible. And its very, very long, epic and definitely an 'experience' that is more than just a regular record. Those with short attention spans should stay away from this record.

The title track, 'Dopesmoker' is a 63 minute journey through a mystical land where people worship weed. Yup. The lyrics are about a weed-quest. While the storyline may be a little hokey to some, its delivered in such an epic and doom metal laden way, that its undeniably enjoyable; the perma-baked crowd will certainly find a new religion here.

As it is, 'Dopesmoker' will be a very hard album for some to enjoy as there is much repetition. Some riffs go on for as long as 6 minutes, and the entirely sober crowd may find it a bit pretentious and boring. However, if you can stick with it and withstand the pummeling riffs you will find much to love. The drums are always epic, crashing and very heavy. The bass is low, rumbling and placed at the front of mix, where it should be. The vocals are a hoarse wail, barely audible. While the riffs can get repetitive, solos are abundant and executed perfectly.

Sleep aren't the kind of band that make the most technical or creative music, but it sure is heavy and interesting, and if you're in an altered state prepare to lift off to another dimension. That's what its all about here, altered states and long journey's.