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Jerusalem and Dopesmoker
Jerusalem and Dopesmoker
Jerusalem and Dopesmoker
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Jerusalem and Dopesmoker
Dopesmoker (2003) album cover
Studio album by
Sleep
Released1999‡
April 22, 2003†
Recorded1994
StudioRecord Two Studio in Comptche, California
Genre
Length52:08‡
73:07†
75:09₸
LabelRise Above/The Music Cartel‡
Tee Pee†
ProducerBilly Anderson†, Sleep
Sleep chronology
Sleep's Holy Mountain
(1992) 		''Jerusalem and Dopesmoker''
(1999/2003) 		The Sciences
(2018)
Reissue cover
Dopesmoker (2012) album cover
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (1999) album cover

Jerusalem and Dopesmoker are two versions of the third studio album by the American stoner doom band Sleep. The former title was released in 1999 by The Music Cartel and the latter was released by Tee Pee Records in 2003. The musical performance that appears on Dopesmoker was recorded live to tape in the second half of 1994, following Sleep’s U.S. tour.[3] When recording had completed, London was unhappy with the finished product and refused to release it, leading to Sleep's disbandment and the album surfacing on bootlegs and unauthorized indie releases in subsequent years. All versions of the album received very positive reception from music critics, who described it as a high-water mark in both the stoner metal and doom metal genres.

Production

[edit]

After positive reviews from the heavy metal press and the release of the album Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992) on Earache Records, Sleep's label announced that they would release their follow-up record.[4][5][6] Sleep had been touring in Europe with Cathedral and in the United States with Nik Turner's version of Hawkwind in support of Sleep's Holy Mountain when the group felt they had to write new material.[4][7] The new album was going to be an hour-long song.[7] This song was written and practiced at sound checks, motel rooms and in friends' houses.[8] Matt Pike said the songwriting process was long and that they were "working on [the song] for like four years. We also had two other songs that were working on that were really long, too—like 15 and 20 minutes. But we never recorded them."[7] Al Cisneros stated that smoking cannabis was important to the song's creative process: "I was really dependent on the space I got into when I was using it, and some of the lyrics are about that...The line, 'Drop out of life [with bong in hand],' was kind of a creed at that point."[8] The song was originally known and performed live under the title "Dopesmoker". After their tour, the group began to be interested in a Middle Eastern desert theme which led to Sleep referring to the song as "Jerusalem" during later practice sessions.[9]

Cisneros said that there was "about a year and half of legal wrangling between their managers and lawyers at Earache" and that Earache owner Digby Pearson "waited to make the most prime conditions for himself before he let [Sleep's] contract [go]."[8] Sleep were in talks with both London Records and Elektra Records to release their next album. They chose to sign to London, as they were promised complete artistic freedom and more money, and since the label did not have any metal bands, Sleep felt they would receive special treatment.[7][10] The members of Sleep were poor, and used the majority of money they received from London Records to cover for the debt they were in at that time.[7]

The song was recorded at Record Two Studio in Comptche, California.[11] While recording the song, it began to develop differently from the original vision.[11] Pike stated that the "song was getting slower and slower and then it got weird. We started tripping out and second guessing ourselves."[11] Recording the album was difficult. Pike recalled that "there was so much to memorize for that album, and we had to do it in like three different sections because a reel-to-reel only holds 22 minutes. It was really cool, but it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life."[10] Sleep were in the studio for one month then went home to rehearse and returned for another month. Pike noted that they ended up with two or three different versions of the song.[9]

Part of the song's signature sound is thanks to custom-built GREEN Matamp GT120 MV amplifiers[12][13] designed to be so loud, no one from the band was capable of going into the same room as them. More than half a dozen microphones were used to pick up the sound from the amps.[14]

Release

[edit]

Within a few weeks of signing with London, the A&R member who was negotiating with Sleep had been transferred and replaced.[7] After sending the finished album to London Records, the label told Sleep that they were not going to release the album in its current format.[15] London Records had David Sardy remix the album but the label was still confused as to what to do with the album.[16] Sleep refused to have the album released in any edited form which led to a deadlock between London and the band.[6] The members of Sleep had mixed feelings whether the album should have been released in general. Cisneros felt it should not have been released, while Pike was content with its release, saying "We did all the work so why leave it sitting around?"[17]

By 2009, there had been four versions of the album released: a rare London Records promotional disc, a bootleg with cover art by Arik Roper, the Rise Above/Music Cartel Records album, and a release by Tee Pee Records.[18] The Rise Above/Music Cartel release was an unauthorized edited version, released in 1999 under the title Jerusalem.[4][6] Jerusalem runs at 52 minutes and is a single composition split into six identically named tracks.[19] The version of the album titled Dopesmoker was released on April 22, 2003, by Tee Pee Records on compact disc and vinyl with a 63-minute running time.[5][20] Cisneros spoke most positively about the 2003 Dopesmoker release, saying "I don't think the Dopesmoker thing is the exact version that we submitted, but that's the closest one that's come out of the four. If I had to pick a favorite, that would be it."[18] Parts of the song were used in the film Broken Flowers by Jim Jarmusch. Jarmusch stated that he was a fan of Sleep and listed them along with Earth and Sunn O))) as an influence for creating the film: "I love these kind of visual landscapes they make, and they really inspired things for me for my film The Limits of Control".[21]

In March 2012, Southern Lord Records announced plans for a deluxe reissue of the album, adding of the pending release that "The audio is clearer, louder, and at last brings a true representation of Sleep's hour-plus Weedian chronicle".[22] The reissue features new artwork by the band's artist Arik Roper, a recording mastered from the original studio tapes by From Ashes Rise guitarist Brad Boatright, and a live version of the song "Holy Mountain", recorded at the I-Beam in San Francisco in 1994.[23] This version of the album reached number 14 on the Top Heatseekers chart.[24]

On August 22, 2022, Third Man Records announced the release of a remastered version of Dopesmoker on music streaming services on August 26, 2022, featuring "Hot Lava Man", a track that hadn't been released digitally before. Along with this digital release, a vinyl reissue of the album released on December 9, 2022,[25] as well as a deluxe "Weedian High-Fi" vinyl pressed with "authentic cannabis leaves" which is only available to purchase at Third Man's Detroit storefront.[26]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic94/100₸[27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar‡[19]
StarStarStarStarHalf star†[20]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[28]
Consequence of SoundStarStarStarHalf star[29]
Decibel(favorable)[30]
Exclaim!(favorable)[31]
MojoStarStarStarStarStar[32]
Pitchfork8.5/10[33]
Spin(favorable)[34]
Stylus Magazine(favorable)[35]

Both Dopesmoker and early releases of the album received positive reviews from the music press. In the December 2000 issue of Spin, the album was referred to as "brilliant" and as a "stoner touchstone".[34] CMJ New Music Monthly wrote positively about the song, saying that the "monotony rarely becomes tedious, because Al Cisneros and company are unpredictable and sensual in their drug-induced pounding of early Sabbath terrain."[36] Online music database AllMusic gave the Jerusalem album four stars out of five stating that "Either version is worth investigating for adventurous metal enthusiasts, but Dopesmoker is clearly the final and definitive presentation of this work".[19] In 2006, the extreme metal magazine Decibel included the album in their hall of fame of "extreme metal masterpieces".[30]

The album continued to receive praise after the release of Dopesmoker. Eduardo Rivadavia of online music database AllMusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five stating "Dopesmoker is [...] an instant doom metal classic—some might even say a masterpiece".[20] The British music magazine Mojo gave the album a rating of five out of five stars proclaiming that Dopesmoker is "A benchmark by which all that dares call itself stoner rock must surely be judged."[32] Exclaim! praised Dopesmoker's production value and noted that the album was an "ultimately better version of 1999's stoner opus Jerusalem."[31] Stylus Magazine's Stewart Voegtlin defined Dopesmoker as "a 60-minute song about the spliff, a monstrous rock ode to stinky buds". Voegtlin pointed out that London Records' refusal to "share Sleep's affection or vision, [led the band to] disbanding in disgust. Matt Pike went on to form High on Fire; Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius contemplate the universe's navel with Om."[35] A New York Times critic wrote: "What seems disorienting and monochromatic at first grows richer and more rewarding upon repeated exposure. It's like a Mark Rothko painting hitting you over the head with a bag of hammers."[37]

The 2012 Southern Lord Records re-issue was also praised. On Metacritic, it has a score of 94 out of 100, based on 9 reviews.[27] Exclaim! noted that this issue was "cleaner and more powerful, the guitars sound heavier, with a much larger presence, and the mesmerizing complexity of the track has been reinvigorated."[38] Pitchfork Media gave the album an 8.5 out of 10 and listed it as one of "the best new reissues" noting that "It's an hour of adventure and momentum, where the lumber and the repetition somehow always push ahead."[33] Consequence of Sound gave the album three and a half stars out of five, stating that "It's not for everybody, certainly; all but the biggest potheads/metalheads may burn out after so much grinding. It's no showcase for songwriting, either, but it makes up for that with heady atmosphere."[29]

Track listings

[edit]

All music written and composed by Sleep.[19][20][39]

Personnel

[edit]

Sleep

Jerusalem

  • Sleep – producer
  • Philo Hayward – assistant engineering
  • Doug Henderson – assistant engineering
  • Fred Kervorkian – editing
  • Adam Muñoz – assistant engineering

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jerusalem and Dopesmoker

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Jerusalem and Dopesmoker are the titles of two versions of the third studio album by the American stoner metal band , featuring a single 63-minute track centered on a repetitive, riff-driven composition about use, originally recorded in 1996 but delayed in release due to conflicts with their . The album's creation stemmed from Sleep's refusal to compromise their artistic vision, leading to the band's breakup shortly after recording. Sleep, formed in 1990 in San Jose, California, from the remnants of the band Asbestosdeath, consisted of bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros, guitarist Matt Pike, and drummer Chris Hakius, and became pioneers of the stoner metal genre with their earlier releases Volume One (1991) and Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992). After signing with major label London Records following the success of Holy Mountain, the band received a substantial advance, much of which was used to purchase high-quality marijuana, which fueled the recording sessions at Record Two studio in Northern California. London Records rejected the finished product—a monolithic, one-hour song titled "Jerusalem"—deeming it uncommercial due to its length and structure, resulting in the album being shelved and the band being dropped from the label in 1998. The first official release came in 1999 as Jerusalem on indie labels The Music Cartel (United States) and Rise Above Records (United Kingdom), presented as a 52-minute album split into five tracks derived from the original recording. Bootleg versions circulated in the interim, building underground cult status. The complete, unedited 63-minute single-track version emerged in 2003 as Dopesmoker on Tee Pee Records, retitled to reflect the song's lyrical themes of smoking dope. A remastered edition was reissued by Southern Lord Records in 2012, further cementing its legacy. Regarded as a landmark in stoner metal and doom genres, Dopesmoker/Jerusalem is celebrated for its , Sabbath-inspired riffs, minimalist structure, and unapologetic embrace of , influencing subsequent heavy music acts despite its tumultuous path to release. The album's endurance has been highlighted in critical lists, including Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Metal Albums, where it is praised as "the ultimate stoner metal record, a groove that could induce a ." Sleep reunited in 2009, performing the album in full on tour and releasing their next studio , The Sciences, in 2018, and have continued touring into 2025.

Background

Band history

Sleep was formed in 1990 in San Jose, California, by bassist and vocalist Al Cisneros, guitarist Matt Pike, and drummer Chris Hakius, evolving from the earlier hardcore punk band Asbestosdeath, which Cisneros and Hakius had started in the late 1980s with guitarist Tom Choi. After Choi's departure, Cisneros and Hakius recruited guitarist Justin Marler and shifted toward a heavier, doom-oriented sound, renaming themselves Sleep and releasing their debut album, Volume One, in 1991. This lineup solidified the band's core, drawing from Bay Area punk roots while embracing slower, riff-heavy structures inspired by Black Sabbath's proto-metal dirges and the Melvins' sludge innovations. The band's breakthrough came with their 1992 full-length album, , released on , which crystallized their signature stoner doom style—characterized by massive, cannabis-fueled riffs, extended jams, and Sabbath-esque themes. The album's critical acclaim and underground buzz, particularly among and metal enthusiasts, established as pioneers of the genre, with tracks like "Dragonaut" exemplifying their hypnotic, weed-hazed groove. As their immersion in deepened—becoming a defining element of their and live performances—the band toured extensively, fostering a devoted following in the burgeoning 1990s heavy music scene. The success of Holy Mountain attracted major-label attention, leading Sleep to sign a lucrative deal with Records in 1993, promising artistic freedom for their next project. This contract positioned Jerusalem as their major-label debut, but tensions arose early when the label pushed for more commercial, radio-friendly material, clashing with the band's uncompromising vision for longer, experimental compositions. These creative control disputes, compounded by the group's deepening stoner lifestyle, strained relations with and foreshadowed the album's tumultuous path.

Album conception

Following the release of their 1992 album Holy Mountain, Sleep decided to pursue a more ambitious project, aiming to create a single epic track exceeding 60 minutes in length, tentatively titled "Jerusalem," which would serve as a monolithic, riff-based composition designed to immerse listeners in a continuous sonic journey. This vision marked a deliberate evolution from their established stoner doom style, emphasizing endurance and repetition to evoke a trance-like state. The album's conception drew heavily from biblical and mystical themes, intertwined with cannabis ritualism, reflecting the band's interest in spiritual exploration through of . These ideas were shaped during extended jam sessions on their 1994-1995 tours, where the band experimented with prolonged improvisations that blurred the lines between performance and composition. , the band's bassist and primary lyricist, played a central role in this conceptualization, viewing the project as a direct successor to Holy Mountain by amplifying its spiritual and psychedelic elements, including hallucinatory narratives inspired by imagery and marijuana as a sacramental tool. The songwriting process began with initial demos captured during this period, focusing on organic riff development rather than structured song forms. In 1995, the core emerged spontaneously during rehearsals, serving as the foundational element around which the entire piece would build, with Cisneros describing it as an unbidden creative surge that halted his daily routines. This approach prioritized patience and repetition, allowing the material to mature through collective jamming before formal documentation.

Recording and production

Studio sessions

The recording of Sleep's third album, initially conceived as a single epic track, took place over two month-long sessions in at Record Two Studio in Comptche, , under the production of Billy Anderson. The band, comprising guitarist , bassist/vocalist , and drummer , had prepared the material in 1995 but delayed entry into the studio due to contractual obligations with . These sessions captured the core of what would become the 63-minute title track, with the band employing guitars through Green Matamp amplifiers for the guitars and an for the bass to achieve their signature low-tuned, heavy tone. Daily routines during the sessions were heavily influenced by , which the band viewed as essential to sustaining their creative flow and extended performances; later recalled maintaining a stock of around 30 ounces of marijuana each at all times, fueling what Anderson described as vapor-laden days of tracking. This approach enabled long takes of sections, often named on a dry-erase board (e.g., "Blackened" or "Reversed Flight") and arranged beforehand at Anderson's house, followed by readings led by Cisneros to inspire thematic elements. The result was a raw core performance requiring extensive overdubs—guitars were tracked three separate times for thickness—and approximately 100 razor blade edits on 2-inch analog tape to assemble the seamless structure, though the foundational takes retained much of their unpolished intensity. Challenges abounded in maintaining cohesion across the track's marathon length, as the band's low tunings caused tuning instability during stacked guitar layers, and splicing disparate sections proved arduous without digital tools. Hakius's drumming demanded particular , providing steady, earthquake-like propulsion over the extended duration; he later expressed regarding his performance under the physical and mental strain of the sessions.

Post-production and label conflicts

Following the completion of recording sessions at Record Two Studio in Comptche, California, Sleep undertook initial mixing in 1996 with producer Billy Anderson, resulting in a 63-minute single-track composition titled "Dopesmoker." London Records, the band's label at the time, rejected this format outright, deeming it unmarketable and incompatible with commercial radio expectations; executives demanded radio-friendly edits, es, or a restructured version divided into shorter tracks to facilitate promotion, and commissioned a by . In response, Sleep partially accommodated the label by editing the material down to a 52-minute version retitled , split into three sections to address technical and structural concerns, but London rejected this iteration as well, insisting on further alterations for broader appeal. The band's refusal to make additional compromises—prioritizing their artistic vision of an epic, uninterrupted stoner metal suite—escalated tensions, culminating in the termination of their contract with London Records in 1998 and imposing severe financial strain, as the group had already expended their advance on high-end amplifiers, studio time, and cannabis without recouping through sales or tours. This fallout left the band in limbo, unable to release the album officially and facing mounting debts that hindered their operations. Amid the disputes, bootleg copies of the original "Dopesmoker" began circulating in 1997 through fan-taped recordings shared within underground metal communities, fostering a and generating hype despite the lack of distribution. The legal and financial repercussions proved insurmountable; by 1998, Sleep entered an indefinite hiatus, with members dispersing to pursue individual projects amid exhaustion from the ordeal.

Release

1999 Jerusalem edition

The 1999 edition of Sleep's third album was released by The Music Cartel in the United States on January 19, 1999, and by in the on January 26, 1999, under the title . This version presented the material as six tracks, all titled "Jerusalem," with a total runtime of 52 minutes and 8 seconds. Following conflicts with their previous label London Records, which had refused to release the full recording, did not approve these alterations; the single original composition was split into multiple segments and subjected to minor trims to accommodate CD length limitations. The edition featured artwork with motifs drawn from Eastern mysticism, evoking themes of spiritual journeys and desert caravans that aligned with the album's lyrical content. The pressing was limited in scale, providing a formal outlet for fans who had previously relied on bootleg copies circulating in the underground metal scene, though some expressed dissatisfaction with the edited format compared to the envisioned full-length track. Initial sales were modest within niche stoner and doom metal circles, where the release garnered cult interest despite its deviations from the band's intent.

2003 Dopesmoker edition

The 2003 edition of the album was released on April 22, 2003, by Tee Pee Records under the title Dopesmoker, presenting the full, unedited 63-minute single track as originally intended by the band, in contrast to the abbreviated 1999 version. The title shift to Dopesmoker underscored the album's overt cannabis-inspired themes, aligning with Sleep's longstanding emphasis on marijuana culture in their music and . The accompanying artwork, created by Arik Roper, depicted robed, hooded figures—known as the "Weedians"—trudging across an expansive, alien desert landscape under a vast, sun-bleached sky, evoking a psychedelic journey through arid wastelands. Distributed primarily through independent channels, the release was available in digipak and vinyl formats, marking a significant step following the band's hiatus after earlier label disputes. With the band's approval, Tee Pee Records, led by friend and former manager Tony Presedo, handled the project, allowing renewed involvement from members , , and during their post-break period. The edition quickly amplified Sleep's cult status within the stoner and communities, fostering deeper appreciation for the track's monolithic structure and thematic depth, which soon influenced live performances including festival appearances of the piece.

Subsequent reissues

In 2012, Southern Lord Records released a deluxe of Dopesmoker as a double LP, featuring audio remastered from the original studio tapes to present the as intended by , along with new cover and interior artwork by Arik Roper and bonus live recordings of "Holy Mountain" and "Sonic Titan" from 1994. This edition evolved from the 2003 version by incorporating these enhancements for improved fidelity and expanded content. The album saw further reissues in subsequent years, including limited-edition cassettes by Southern Lord in 2013 and various vinyl represses, featuring artwork by Arik Roper. In 2022, issued a remastered vinyl edition to coincide with the album's ongoing legacy, available in standard black and limited green variants, with the deluxe "Weedian High-Fi" pressing embedding actual leaves into the PVC discs; it included packaging and marked the return of Dopesmoker to digital streaming platforms like in remastered form, following a period of unavailability. More recent editions include a 2024 vinyl pressing documented on Discogs and a July 2025 cassette reissue by Southern Lord limited to 500 copies for the label's 20th anniversary, differing from prior versions primarily in barcode placement. No major anniversary events or streaming enhancements were reported as of late 2025.

Composition

Musical structure

Jerusalem and Dopesmoker, originally conceived as a single 63-minute track titled "Jerusalem," forms the core of the album's composition, built around repeating, hypnotic riffs infused with an Eastern tinge and proceeding at a deliberate tempo of approximately 70 beats per minute. The edited Jerusalem variant splits this material into six shorter tracks totaling 52 minutes, but both versions eschew traditional verse-chorus structures in favor of a continuous, monolithic flow that evolves gradually without abrupt interruptions. This architecture emphasizes repetition and immersion, with the riff serving as the foundational "canvas" for the entire piece, developed over nearly three years of intensive practice sessions. The track unfolds through distinct yet seamless sections: an opening dirge-like passage featuring an unaccompanied for the first 2.5 minutes, extending over eight minutes of layered down-tuned guitars before vocals emerge, followed by mid-tempo builds that intensify the hypnotic groove through subtle variations and brief solos. These developments maintain a dirge-like pacing throughout, drawing listeners into a contemplative , before culminating in a slow fade-out that reinforces the ritualistic, unending quality of the composition. The absence of conventional song forms allows the music to function as an epic "" of stoner doom, with based on minor pentatonic power chords in C providing textural depth rather than technical complexity. Instrumentation centers on Matt Pike's detuned guitar layers, delivered through Orange and Matamp heads to produce fuzzy, sustained slabs of tone that dominate the mix with their sludgy weight. Al Cisneros's bass grooves provide a deep, resonant foundation with a midrange-heavy emphasis, locking into the riffs to amplify the overall density, while Chris Hakius's drumming delivers tribal, hypnotic patterns at a slow, deliberate pace, often recessed to let the low-end instruments lead. Solos are doubled rather than layered beneath rhythms, adding punch without overwhelming the core riff structure. Production techniques, particularly in the Southern Lord , employ reverb-heavy mixes to create a hazy, ritualistic atmosphere, enhancing the immersive, smoke-filled sonic landscape with throaty and wide . This approach, refined from the original recording at Record Two Studio, evokes a of vast, echoing expanse, aligning the 's sound with its contemplative intent.

Lyrics and themes

The lyrics of Dopesmoker are notably sparse, consisting of ritualistic chants that evoke a psychedelic journey through a landscape, portraying as a sacred central to spiritual enlightenment. Lines such as "Drop out of life with in hand / Follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land" and "Holy smoke of ritual / Puff puff give / Smoke up the herbs man" frame marijuana as a divine herb facilitating transcendence, with recurring of "weed priests" and "burn the " drawing on Rastafarian traditions where the chalice symbolizes a for communal herb use. Biblical references abound, including allusions to as a promised "riff-filled land," the , and an exodus-like caravan traversing the "sand-sea" under divine guidance, blending motifs with mystical like "Raise up seer's holy ." These themes stem from influences including Rastafarian reverence for as a holy herb prescribed in biblical passages like Psalm 104:14, ancient ritualistic practices evoking communal offerings, and the band's personal immersion in heavy marijuana consumption during the recording era. Guitarist described the content as metaphorical reflections of their lived experiences, stating, "The whole thing is about the way we felt... We were living that metaphor," amid daily use of up to 30 ounces of and occasional psychedelics that inspired visions of spiritual quests. Bassist echoed this, noting dependency on marijuana-induced states shaped the words, transforming initial weed anthems into broader explorations of existential escape and enlightenment. Vocally, the delivery is ritualistic and incantatory, with providing the primary deep, droning chants reminiscent of monk-like invocations, occasionally alternating with Matt Pike's contributions to create a layered, ceremonial effect. These elements are deliberately buried low in the dense, riff-heavy mix, prioritizing atmospheric immersion over clarity and enhancing the hypnotic, trance-inducing quality akin to Gregorian chants filtered through . Interpretations often position the track as a stoner metal —a meditative extolling herb-induced —or an anti-commercial manifesto, born from label demands for radio-friendly songs that defied by crafting an uncompromising 63-minute opus funded by their advance, ultimately leading to their initial disbandment. This fusion of and underscores its role as a psychedelic testament to liberation through sound and substance.

Reception

Contemporary reviews

Upon its 1999 release, received mixed reviews from metal publications, which praised the album's massive riffs and heavy sound but criticized its edited structure and overall inaccessibility for casual listeners. In Lollipop Magazine, highlighted the band's influences and the "massive" riffs, yet described the 52-minute track—divided into five parts—as a "one chord mudbank of crumbled sludge" that lacked dynamics and risked inducing boredom despite occasional twists to maintain interest. The 2003 release of Dopesmoker, restoring the full 63-minute single track, garnered more favorable coverage in alternative and metal outlets, emphasizing its potential as a despite its daunting length. awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars, lauding the hypnotic immersion and riff mastery while acknowledging its repetitive nature as both a strength for trance-like effect and a barrier to broader accessibility. Fan zines echoed this praise, celebrating the uncompromised vision and immersive repetition as a bold statement of stoner metal purity. Contemporary accounts like Stranger Aeons Magazine (via UnEarthed) acclaimed its authenticity, calling it a "massively cool" psychedelic doom opus with "trippy, heavy" grooves that evoked on a cosmic scale, positioning Sleep as legendary figures in the genre. Critics often contrasted the album's repetitiveness—seen as monotonous by some—with its praises for creating a hypnotic, trance-inducing immersion that rewarded patient listeners. Though word-of-mouth among underground metal communities gradually built its status.

Retrospective assessments

In the years following its initial mixed reception, Dopesmoker (also known as ) has been increasingly celebrated as a cornerstone of stoner metal, with critics from the onward emphasizing its uncompromising vision and hypnotic power. The 2012 Southern Lord reissue marked a pivotal moment in this reevaluation, presenting the album in its intended form with remastered audio and additional artwork. awarded it an 8.3 out of 10, describing it as an "infinitely explorable" work that elevates stoner metal to monumental status through its relentless riffing and thematic depth. Similarly, Spin highlighted the reissue in its list of the best reissues of July 2012, praising Dopesmoker as the archetypal stoner-metal for its slow, sludgy that set a benchmark for the genre. Anniversary retrospectives in the 2020s have further solidified its enduring appeal. In a 2023 analysis, Distorted Sound reflected on the album's 25th anniversary, underscoring its status as a "one-track behemoth" that exemplifies marijuana-infused at its pinnacle, with its production battles now viewed as emblematic of artistic . Consequence of Sound's 2024 review for the same milestone echoed this, calling it a touchstone of stoner and whose single, hour-long track demonstrates remarkable staying power and sonic immersion. In 2024, reissued the album on vinyl with leaves embedded in the pressing, renewing interest in its status. A January 2025 article in The Verge questioned whether Dopesmoker remains the heaviest album of all time, praising its unrelenting, ribcage-rattling heaviness as still unmatched. Within metal studies, scholars have noted the album's minimalist structure and anti-commercial as key to its . Owen Coggins's 2018 book Mysticism, Ritual and Religion in positions Dopesmoker as extremely influential in the subgenre, highlighting its repetitive, overwhelming and explicit references to marijuana as ritualistic elements that reject mainstream . This perspective aligns with broader analyses of heaviness in metal, where the album's refusal of conventional song formats is seen as a deliberate stand against commercial pressures. On aggregate sites, user ratings reflect this canonization, with Dopesmoker averaging 3.85 out of 5 on Rate Your Music based on over 15,000 reviews, indicating widespread acclaim among enthusiasts.

Legacy

Influence on stoner metal

Dopesmoker's pioneering use of extended, repetitive riffs and its hour-long track structure profoundly shaped the development of stoner metal, inspiring bands to embrace long-form compositions that prioritize immersion and endurance over conventional songwriting. Electric Wizard's Dopethrone (2000), for instance, echoed this approach by crafting sprawling, weed-fueled epics that expanded on Sleep's template of hypnotic, riff-centric heaviness. Bongzilla, pioneers of stoner doom, directly credited as a key influence, with vocalist Michael Makela describing the band as essential and urging fans to experience Dopesmoker to grasp the genre's cannabis-rooted . The 2003 official reissue of Dopesmoker fueled a revival of stoner doom throughout the , revitalizing interest in the subgenre's sludgy, Sabbath-derived sound and paving the way for its broader adoption. This resurgence extended to Matt Pike's post-Sleep project , which integrated Dopesmoker's dense, riff-worshipping intensity with faster tempos, helping propel stoner metal into mainstream heavy music circles. The album's enduring impact was evident in Sleep's 2018 tour promoting The Sciences, which included full performances of Dopesmoker and further cemented its status as a genre cornerstone. Publications like have recognized Dopesmoker as a blueprint for riff worship, highlighting its role in bridging stoner metal with drone aesthetics and influencing experimental heavy music. Similarly, stoner rock documentaries such as Such Hawks Such Hounds portray the album as a seminal work that redefined endurance and devotion in metal riffing.

Cultural significance

Dopesmoker has emerged as a of resistance against major label interference in the heavy music scene, stemming from Sleep's refusal to compromise their artistic vision during recording sessions for London Records in 1996. The label rejected the album's unconventional structure—a single, hour-long track—deeming it uncommercial and demanding edits for radio play, which prompted the band's dissolution rather than dilution of their work. This standoff inspired a DIY among underground heavy music communities, as the album circulated via bootlegs and independent releases before its official 2003 issuance on Tee Pee Records, empowering artists to prioritize creative integrity over commercial pressures. The album's overt cannabis themes have cemented its integration into stoner culture, particularly through annual 4/20 celebrations, where it features prominently in playlists and special streams as an anthem for marijuana enthusiasts. For instance, in 2022, Gimme Radio hosted a 24-hour exclusive stream of Dopesmoker in honor of the holiday, highlighting its ritualistic appeal. Additionally, an edited version of the title track appeared on the soundtrack for the 2005 indie film Broken Flowers, directed by Jim Jarmusch, bridging the album to stoner cinema and broader media representations of countercultural lifestyles. Online communities, such as Reddit's r/doommetal subreddit, have amplified Dopesmoker's cult status through memes centered on its "one " legend, portraying the track's repetitive, hypnotic structure as a humorous yet revered hallmark of endurance listening. Discussions often celebrate specific moments within the 63-minute composition, reinforcing its communal bonding in scenes. In the 2020s, amid expanding cannabis legalization across the United States, Dopesmoker has gained renewed relevance, with Sleep's legacy tied to evolving attitudes toward marijuana. High Times magazine featured coverage of a 2022 Third Man Records reissue incorporating actual cannabis leaves into the vinyl pressing, and a 2023 article explored the album's iconic cover art as a cornerstone of "Weedian" mythology in stoner lore. Band members have reflected on this shift in interviews, noting how legalization has validated the album's unapologetic embrace of cannabis as a spiritual and creative force. In 2024 and 2025, guitarist Matt Pike teased upcoming surprises and new material for Sleep, while a January 2025 article in The Verge reaffirmed Dopesmoker as "legendarily heavy," underscoring its continued cultural impact.

Credits

Track listing

The 1999 edition of , released by The Music Cartel, is presented as a single composition divided into six tracks collectively titled "", with a total runtime of 52:07.
No.TitleDuration
1"Jerusalem (pt. 1)"9:26
2"Jerusalem (pt. 2)"8:26
3"Jerusalem (pt. 3)"9:01
4"Jerusalem (pt. 4)"10:28
5"Jerusalem (pt. 5)"5:45
6"Jerusalem (pt. 6)"9:01
All tracks written by . The 2003 edition of Dopesmoker, released by Tee Pee Records, consists of a single track with a runtime of 63:31.
No.TitleDuration
1"Dopesmoker"63:31
All tracks written by . The 2012 deluxe reissue of Dopesmoker, released by Southern Lord Records, retains the original track while adding two bonus live recordings: "Holy Mountain" from a 1994 at the I-Beam in , and "Sonic Titan" from a 1992 at 935 Gilman Street in , for a total runtime of approximately 84:23.
No.TitleDuration
1"Dopesmoker"63:31
2"Holy Mountain" (live)11:35
3"Sonic Titan" (live)9:17
All tracks written by .

Personnel

The core lineup for Jerusalem and Dopesmoker consists of on bass and vocals, on guitar, and on drums. Billy Anderson served as producer and engineer for the original 1995–1996 recording sessions, with the band Sleep credited as co-producer. The original release (1999) features artwork by Arik Roper and mastering by an unspecified party, while the 2003 Dopesmoker edition includes art direction by Arik Moonhawk Roper, additional visual flight artwork by Doug Ebright, and mastering by Mark Keaton. The 2012 Southern Lord reissue was remastered by Brad Boatright from the original studio tapes and features new artwork by Arik Roper; it includes no guest musicians.

References

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