After years of silence, legendary stoner metal pioneers Sleep are officially back. The band has announced its long-awaited new album, Hempispheres, arriving digitally on September 3, 2026 via Third Man Records before receiving a physical release on October 30. Alongside the announcement comes the album’s second preview, “The Morrisist,” a towering slab of fuzz-drenched heaviness that proves Sleep still knows exactly how to build a hypnotic riff. Rather than attempting to recreate the sound of 2018’s The Sciences, Hempispheres marks the beginning of an entirely new era for Sleep. It’s the band’s first album without longtime guitarist Matt Pike, with bassist and vocalist Al Cisneros leading a refreshed lineup featuring Dale Crover (Melvins, Redd Kross) on drums and Bubba Dupree (Void) on guitar.
Watch “The Morrisist”
Hempispheres was recorded at the Melvins’ studio alongside longtime engineer Toshi Kasai. According to the band, the album grew naturally from a handful of demo ideas Cisneros had been developing before evolving into a full collaborative effort with Crover and Dupree. Instead of trying to imitate the past, the trio focused on preserving the spirit of Sleep while allowing each member’s own musical voice to shape the record. Sleep will support Hempispheres with an extensive North American tour beginning in September, including a headlining appearance at Levitation Festival in Austin before continuing across the West Coast, Midwest, Canada and the East Coast through November.
For longtime fans, Hempispheres isn’t just another reunion record: it’s the beginning of a new chapter. “The Morrisist” captures everything that has made Sleep one of doom metal’s most influential bands while confidently proving there’s still plenty of unexplored territory left in their sonic universe.
Hempispheres Album Cover
Hempispheres Tracklist
- Have Spacesuit Will Travel
- The Morrisist
- Hempispheres
- Arrival of the Industry Ships
- Whole Wheat Mountain Well Baked
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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