''Sleep's Holy Mountain'' (also known as ''Holy Mountain'') is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band

Sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

. It was released in November 1992 in Europe and March 1993 in the US through

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

Release and reception

The recordings that would become ''Sleep's Holy Mountain'' were originally sent to independent label Earache as a demo. The label immediately signed the band and released the recordings exactly as they were received. It was the last album to be released by the band as a fully functioning group for a while, as their subsequent albums up to 2018's ''

The Sciences ''The Sciences'' was a magazine published from 1961 to 2001 by the New York Academy of Sciences. Each issue contained articles that discussed science issues with cultural relevance, illustrated with fine art and an occasional cartoon. The perio ...

'' were released after the group had broken up. The album, which includes the word "stoner" in the lyrics of two songs and prominently features

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

leaves in its album art, is widely considered one of the seminal albums in the evolution of

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep ...

. It became a favourite of the heavy metal press and the band was heralded, along with

Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American rock band, formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987. The band disbanded in 1995, and since then, members of Kyuss have gone on to form or play in several notable bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, ...

, as leaders of the emerging

stoner metal Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Slee ...

scene. The songs "Dragonaut" and "Some Grass" are used in the 1997

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...

film ''

Gummo ''Gummo'' is a 1997 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine, starring Jacob Reynolds, Nick Sutton, Jacob Sewell, and Chloë Sevigny. The film is set (but was not filmed) in Xenia, Ohio, a Midwestern American tow ...

''. In May 2009, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

-curated Don't Look Back series.

Track listing

All music/lyrics written by Sleep except "Snowblind".

2009 reissue bonus tracks

Credits

Al Cisneros Al Cisneros (born September 23, 1973) is an American musician. He is the lead singer and bassist for stoner rock/ doom metal bands Sleep and Om. He also was a member of Shrinebuilder and Asbestosdeath (the precursor to Sleep) and has put out n ...

– bass guitar, vocals * Matt Pike – guitar *

Chris Hakius Chris Hakius is an American retired rock drummer best known for his work in Om and Sleep. Around 1990, Hakius was in Asbestosdeath along with Al Cisneros and Matt Pike. Asbestosdeath broke up and the three would form Sleep. Hakius was Sleep' ...

– drums *Cover artwork by Robert Klem *Produced and engineered by Billy Anderson"Engineered by Billy Anderson" and "Produced by Sleep and Billy Anderson" credits printed in ''Sleep's Holy Mountain'' CD liner notes, Earache Records, 1992.

Pressing history

References

External links

Sleep's Holy Mountain (CD) at Earache Records site
{{Authority control 1993 albums Sleep (band) albums Earache Records albums Albums produced by Billy Anderson (producer)