Sleep's New Era Begins With Hempispheres
Gustavo Vicentin
Senior Writer
September 8, 2026
After eight years without releasing an album, Sleep returns with Hempispheres, but in a very different form. For the first time, Matt Pike is no longer part of the lineup, replaced by Bubba Dupree, while Dale Crover takes over on drums. Al Cisneros remains at the center of the band, but these changes significantly reshape the sound of the record.
“Have Spacesuit Will Travel” immediately introduces this new era. Cisneros’ bass takes up far more space, while Dupree makes no attempt to replicate Pike’s heavy, explosive style. The song still carries the slow, hypnotic atmosphere that has always defined Sleep, but there is now more room between the instruments.
“The Morrisist” continues in the same direction, particularly through the chemistry between Cisneros and Crover. The title track, “Hempisphere,” perhaps best captures the difference between the old Sleep and this new lineup. The weight is still there, but the album seems more interested in building a psychedelic atmosphere than simply stacking massive riffs on top of each other.
The biggest highlight comes with “Arrival of the Industry Ships.” At more than eleven minutes, the track begins with a crushing riff before gradually opening into an extended jam. It is here that the album finally stops feeling like simply “Sleep without Matt Pike” and begins to develop an identity of its own.
The record closes with “Whole Wheat Mountain / Well Baked,” a direct reference to Sleep’s Holy Mountain. The song blends the band’s past with its looser new approach, featuring less aggressive guitars and a bassline that practically carries the entire track.
With only five songs, Hempispheres is one of the most compact records of Sleep’s career. Pike’s absence is impossible to ignore, and anyone expecting another Holy Mountain or The Sciences may find the change jarring. But the album works precisely because it does not try to recreate the past. Instead, it presents a more psychedelic, relaxed, and experimental version of Sleep, proving that even after more than three decades, the band can still find new ground to explore.
Edited by: Jade Read
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