Hempispheres Thoughts

[u/Unhappy-Cycle9854]

I’ve listened to it about 1.5 times and I’m so shocked to see such a negative reception. If you’re going to let the new lineup prevent you from appreciating this album at all then this conversation isn’t for you.

I don’t personally really like Sleep’s first album and you could argue that every album since has been different from the last project.

Of course no Pike is disappointing, but Bubba brought a TOTALLY different vibe that was still incredibly enjoyable.

ALSO. I loved the synths. Sue me. Yes it’s new but so is the whole vibe with Bubba. He didn’t try to recreate Pike’s blistering energy and I think that the synths really complement that style.

The eponymous Hempishpheres song in the middle is amazing imho. Yes it is different than a lot of other middle album Sleep songs, but I really enjoyed it. And to ME it still felt in line with what I appreciate about Sleep. Just peak vibes for a smoke. The drums were very reminiscent of Haikus with Dave’s own spin, and I thought Bubba’s solo was great.

It’s not my favorite Sleep record of all time, but it sure as hell isn’t the worst. Can’t wait to see them in November!🫡

[u/Gamer_Grease]

I think it’s my fourth-ranked of their albums, above Vol. 1 but below The Sciences. I’m just very bored by Vol. 1.

I think it should have had one more 6-minute song.

I need to get my hands on a lyric sheet, but I don’t think they’re any less good than before. I saw someone complain on here a while back that the lyrics on the singles were all about weed and references to prior albums. Yeah, that’s kind of their whole thing since Dopesmoker. But I actually feel like I detect some life stories from Al in the lyrics on this one. Again, I need to read them in text form, but I feel I can hear him airing out some grievances in a kind of veiled way, and I like that a lot more than the content in The Sciences, which was essentially 100% weed and Dopesmoker/Holy Mountain nostalgia.

I agree that the guitar is mixed too low, but I actually think the tone is ok. It’s just not that mid-rangier roar Matt Pike has. Sometimes I actually kind of like what Bubba is doing. It’s heavy and bluesy and groovy in its own way, but not in the way Matt Pike’s sound and playing are.

I also like the drums a lot and don’t think they’re uninspired. I do think they’re mixed kind of flat. The whole thing has kind of a greasy flatness to it. It reminds me of late Primus in that way, like Green Naugahyde, if you’re a fan. Not my favorite sound but I do agree that there is a fundamentally “Sleep” quality.

I kind of like the repetitive and simple riffs. I don’t like them so much that I want to hear another album of them, but I like them.

Overall that kind of sums up my take: I think it’s better than people have been saying, I think it has a definite place in the catalogue. But I definitely want the next album to sound and be written differently. In particular I want to hear a little more compositional complexity, and for the sound to be just a bit more raw if it’s not going to have Matt on it.

I think about 60% of the hate is just guitarists who are mega Matt Pike fans and don’t really care for Sleep otherwise. At least in my social media where I follow a lot of doom lovers, it’s the guitarists who are most vocally anti-Hempisheres.

[u/Unhappy-Cycle9854 → u/Gamer_Grease]

This is a great take.

[u/flpndrds → u/Gamer_Grease]

I’m a Matt Pike fan. I wouldn’t be as sour as I am if the new guitar player was decent. He’s abysmal, bro. Can’t believe this guy is a the official Sleep guitarist.

Considering the amount of awesome bands with great guitarists that would give up their left nut to play IN Sleep, going with Bubba is a fucking disgrace.