Sleep

Formed as a Bay Area punk rock band called Asbestosdeath, the band changed their musical direction and name and debuted as Sleep with their "Volume One" album in 1991. After Justin Marler left the band, the core lineup of Al Cisneros, Matt Pike and Chris Hakius went into the studio to record a demo cassette that they sent to Earache Records. The recording was released in November 1992 (exactly as received by the label) under the name "Sleep's Holy Mountain" and went on to forever alter the musical landscape. Countless current bands cite "...Holy Mountain" as a major inspiration, and the unique sound and style of the record can be heard in many subsequent releases by bands from all over the world. "Sleep's Holy Mountain" created such a buzz that major label London Records signed the band. Unfortunately, the label lacked the vision necessary to actually follow through and release the album that Sleep recorded, mostly because it took the not-radio-friendly form of a Single song -- a 63 minute long ode to weed -- called "Dopesmoker." Sleep returned to the studio and edited the track down to 52 minutes and retitled it "Jerusalem", but it was again rejected. London Records shelved the... more...