''Sleep's Holy Mountain'' (also known as ''Holy Mountain'') is the second studio album by the American
stoner doom band
Sleep
Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...
. It was released in November 1992 in Europe and March 1993 in the US through
Earache Records.
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'' 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 that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
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 Sl ...
. It became a favourite of the heavy metal press and the band was heralded, along with
Kyuss, 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 film ''
Gummo''.
In May 2009, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the
All Tomorrow's Parties-curated
Don't Look Back series.
Track listing
All music/lyrics written by Sleep except "Snowblind".
2009 reissue bonus tracks
Credits
*
Al Cisneros
Alberto R. Cisneros (; born September 23, 1973) is an American musician. He is the lead singer and bassist for stoner rock/doom metal bands Sleep (band), Sleep and Om (band), Om. He also was a member of Shrinebuilder and Asbestosdeath (the precur ...
–
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
,
vocals
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...
*
Matt Pike
Matthew Lance Pike (born June 3, 1972) is an American musician best known as the guitarist of stoner metal, stoner/doom metal band Sleep (band), Sleep and the vocalist and guitarist of High on Fire. With High on Fire, Pike won the 2019 Grammy Aw ...
–
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
*
Chris Hakius –
drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
*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)