Review: Sleep ‘Hempispheres’

Since their much-demanded reunion in the late 2000s, California stoner rock stalwarts Sleep have had quite a few surprises up their sleepy sleeve. The first being 2018’s The Sciences, their not-so-quiet first full-length album since their reformation that was quietly released to the public seemingly out of the blue.

The second surprise would be the subject of this review, Hemispheres, which came out digitally on 3rd September 2026 via Third Man Records. But the biggest surprise is that Sleep has seen their most drastic lineup change of their career, which, for many fans, will raise questions and curiosities.

There’s the little matter of the drums. Original kit-destroyer Chris Hakius left the post-Sleep act OM in 2009 and was subsequently replaced by the enormously hard-hitting Jason Roader of Neurosis fame. Roeder sadly left under less-than-amicable terms in 2024. His replacement is a fellow by the name of Dale Crover. That’s right… Sleep now has a Melvin in its arsenal.

And this now brings us to guitars: Matt Pike is no longer in the band. Many, including myself, were shocked, but it is true. Washington DC hardcore veteran Jon ‘Bubba’ Dupree (Void, Hater) is the one now throttling amplifiers onstage next to Al Cisneros. Speaking of Cisnero, he is the essential voice and conceptual visionary of Sleep, but removing Pike from the sonic equation is definitely a major shakeup. If you compare them to their British peers Electric Wizard, Jus Oborn has had multiple lineup shuffles, but him being both the singer and guitarist means the Electric Wizard style has remained intact. So, it begs the question, what will this new group sound like, and is it really Sleep?

probably one of the best and most confusing records I’ve heard all year…

Have Spacesuit Will Travel starts off as a rather subdued and mellow number, reminding me more of Elder’s Dead Roots Stirring than the immortal Dragonaut from Holy Mountain. Crover’s typically ‘lyrical’ circular drumbeat accompanies Cisneros’ trademark Butlerian bass for a steady intro before Dupree’s guitar riff kicks in to accompany the pot-worshipping lyrics we have come to expect – ‘Inhaler of the way, leaves the earthly day’. Dupree’s sinewy pedaled guitar melody is quite unlike Pike’s. While both share Arabesque influence, it is much more dialed back in the overall mix.

By contrast The Morrisist very much feels like early OM’s meditational drifting with some accompanying guitar, creating a placid affair that closes with wispy hand percussion. The title track, Hemispheres, brings us much closer to the classic Sleep sound with Dupree’s more aggressive riffing sounding not quite as fat as Pike but still robust enough to carry the song along into a nice octave-laden solo. Closer Whole Wheat Mountain/Well Baked is my personal favorite number, a perfectly rollicking head-bobber (and head changer) that I often found myself replaying.

Now for the conclusion. How does Hemispheres measure up? Well, as a straight-up stoner rock album, it’s simply one of the best I’ve heard in quite a while. The players are well tuned into each other, the grooves are solid, the drumming and bass playing is unsurprisingly fluid, considering Cisneros and Crover were already bandmates in Shrinebuilder. But Bubba Dupree is simply no substitute for Matt Pike, and I don’t think he was ever intended to be.

His guitar playing doesn’t destroy and mangle; it carries the other musicians along like a fuzzy conveyor belt. So perhaps Hemispheres does not succeed as a Sleep record, yet I cannot help but find myself listening to it over and over again. Hemispheres is probably one of the best and most confusing records I’ve heard all year, and I am interested as to where this new incarnation goes next.

Label: Third Man Records
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Scribed by: Rob Walsh