Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992)

When it comes to stoner metal, Sleep are virtually mandatory a listen, right?  As I continue to spread my wings in The Fallen clan I am fnally getting around to a band that seem to get universal praise amongst peers.  It seems you simply cannot class yourself as a fan of doom/stoner metal without acknowledging the importance of Sleep.  I am not here to upset that apple cart either.  Based on this album at least, I like what I am hearing enough to commit to a review, and I will start off by saying that Sleep are a lot of fun to my ears.  Playing as an almost uber-organic jam session, I soon find myself not really caring about track listings or even individual songs, just enjoying the album overall instead.

Coming to the band via Om and the album Pilgrimage, wich I find to be a much more serious yet still thoroughly enjoyable release, Sleep are more like the cool Uncle who let's you have a sneaky can of ale round his house when you are fourteen as opposed to the more focussed family member that is Om.  I would go as far as to say that Sleep's Holy Mountain is even a sloppy record in places with the percussion going off on its own merry way on occasion.  However, this does not come as an unexpected thing in all honesty.  This is truly one of the most free-sounding records I have ever heard, that spontaneous feel to the record coupled with the relaxed atmosphere make for a very natural performance.  I dispute that this is only for people high on drugs (although I do have a strong English Breakfast Tea in my hand currently which is as potent as I get nowadays) but it is hard to not conjure that stereotype when listening to music like this.  The fact is that the music transcends the stereotype with pretty much minimal effort.

The casual playing and the previously mentioned cumbersome trajectory it takes just adds to the enamour I have with the album in all honesty.  Tracks such as Dragonaut, The Druid and the brilliant Inside the Sun are what Sleep are all about.  Zero fucks to give metal for folks who went shopping for fucks to give but the stores were all sold out.  You can throw Black Sabbath worship references all you want, and you'd be right, although I doubt it al that intentional.  However, you can also put on any Electric Wizard or Cathedral record and align Sleep with those modern doom references with just as much ease.  Shave off the instrumental tracks and the album comes up by half a mark on the scores too.