The gods of stoner. The marijuanauts of doom. The high priests of heavy riffs and meaty grooves. The authors of some of the most influential albums in the history of metal. A band whose disbandment towards the end of the millennium left us certain we’re left with just their exceptional legacy, then an amazing new album came out of nowhere to become one of the best records of 2018. Yes, Sleep are coming.
The trio Sleep, with a current line-up of Al Cisneros, Matt Pike and Jason Roeder, is deservedly regarded as one of the most influential metal bands of all time. Their second album Sleep’s Holy Mountain, released in 1992, is acknowledged as a seminal stoner metal record that redefined the very foundations of the genre. Its follow-up Dopesmoker, no less exceptional, led to the group disbanding due to record label issues. After a lengthy hiatus, the band started reforming in 2009 for select live shows, but there wasn’t even as much as an inkling of any new material.
That all changed on 20 April 2018, the global holiday of marijuana aficionados everywhere, with the sudden release of The Sciences via Jack White’s Third Man Records. No forewarning, no unnecessary pomp, just six excellent songs that proved Sleep had never lost form. That some legends are forever. That some comebacks are Comebacks with a capital “C”, not just taking advantage of faded glory.
“[The Sciences] makes everything that was originally great about Sleep even better.” (Pitchfork)
“With The Sciences, Sleep have given stoner-metal acolytes a bonafide miracle.” (Spin)
“[The Sciences] confirms why they are considered the greatest stoner doom band of all time, one of doom metal’s greatest treasures, one of metal’s biggest crossover acts in the broader underground musical world, and one of the greatest heavy rock bands to roam the planet.” (Consequence of Sound)
In 2019, 4:20 falls on 4:18. Don’t sleep through it.
We’ll first light up with Zagreb quartet Cojones, who fuel their heavy stoner drive with rock ‘n’ roll energy. Their music is influenced by Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Melvins and more, and their concrete sonic explosion has made them a regular feature on stages abroad as well. Their latest, third album Resonate is deservedly among the best Croatian releases of 2016, and now they’ll have the honour of performing ahead of their idols.
Tickets on sale online and at Eventim outlets.
Organisation: Kino Šiška.
