Hempispheres - Tracklist
1.Have Spacesuit Will Travel 07:22
2.The Morrisist 04:42
3.Hempispheres 07:57
4.Arrival Of The Industry Ships 11:11
5.Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked 06:52
Members
Al Cisneros - Bass / Vocals
Bubba Dupree - Guitar
Dale Crover - Drums
Review
I’m not sure if the dust has settled on how SLEEP’s new album is busy upsetting their fanbase and even some critics. As this isn’t the SLEEP we’re used to. There’s no Matt Pike or Jason Roeder who have been replaced by Bubba Dupree and Dale Crover respectively on their new album Hempispheres. Though, here we are. I will admit I was sceptical before the album was released about how I won’t enjoy this at all. At first I didn’t enjoy anything that I listened to as everything felt too muted and too safe compared to the spaced out ferocity of the classic album THE SCIENCES.
Now a few weeks after the album’s initial release I’m actually in love with the record. It’s different to what has come before, that's mainly down to the change in personnel. I get folks complaining how this shouldn’t be called a SLEEP record and I partially agree to that extent as well. However, I want to review the album as I’m a mega fan of SLEEP. They’re one of my all time favourite bands.
Hempispheres is a superbly created Heavy Psychedelic record that obviously is missing the legendary destructive Sludge/Stoner Metal sounds played by Matt Pike. However, Bubba Dupree is one hell of a guitarist in his own right and perfectly suits this new low-key and spaced out version of SLEEP. The mood is quite abstract and drone based with the music perhaps closer to OM and Shrinebuilder with Dale’s clever drum beats adding a calm sense of momentum that works superbly well with Al’s dynamite bass playing.
The opening track Have Spacesuit Will Travel is SLEEP in a cautious mood creating diverse Space Rock melodies with a distorted sludgy musical environment which has small instances of Ambient and Drone passages forming. As I stated before, it’s quite low-key compared to SLEEP’s previous bombastic records but that’s no bad thing. As this track has plenty of groove and progressive movement that still feels like SLEEP through and through.
Second track The Mirrorist opts for a denser and hypnotic sound with an ice-cold glacial cosmic sound. The song does feel made up of intricate Middle Easten moments but Al’s in inspired form throughout. The production can be quite fuzzy and not as clean as I would like but doesn’t deter from the great storytelling aspect that SLEEP have been known for. It’s not the fastest song that SLEEP have created here but the journey is worth taking for a mellow and highly aggressive number towards the later stages of the track.
Third track Hempispheres offers brief glimpses of old-school SLEEP with distorted sludgy guitars and a punishing bass line that may feel repetitive in places but the music is constantly addictive with that subtle lo-fi energy winning the day. The cosmic and psychedelic sound effects adds a layer of SPACE ROCK heaviness with a surprising level of distortion and Blues Rock surroundings towards the end of the song. One of my favourite songs from the whole album as it does make me want to rock out every time I listen to it.
A major criticism I’ve seen about the album is the muddled production values and whilst they’re different to previous albums, the record does sound quite vibrant, seedy and fully realized if you appreciate the “LESS IS MORE” feeling of the whole album.
The final two tracks Arrival Of The Industry Ships and Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked are the best parts of the album with SLEEP delving into heavier and quieter sonic based territories where the riffs feel more fully fleshed out from start to finish. The sonic surroundings feel fully fleshed out with a level of progressive delivery that allows the music to be quite more riff-centric and complex spaced out rhythms left me wanting more.
Everyone brings their “A” game to Hempispheres and I love this record for what it is. It’s not the SLEEP we expect and some longtime fans will never consider this a SLEEP record at all. I respect their opinions but I’m glad to make my mind up with this record and even though I have some issues with the record, I still adore the hell out of HEMPISPHERES. If you would have told me at the start of 2026 that we would have new albums by Mastodon, Neurosis and SLEEP then I would have said NO WAY but here we are and some folks are still complaining!!!
My final thoughts is Hempispheres is another outstanding record from SLEEP. Though, it may have received a better reception if it was released under a different name but I consider this an absolute win!!!
Words by Steve Howe
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