Do these guys really need an introduction? If you’ve been even a little aware of the stoner scene that spans both metal and rock, there’s no possible way you’ve been able to avoid the phenomenon that is Sleep. I’ve been saving this album for a rainy day simply because everyone everywhere has covered this record that dropped randomly months ago, but I found myself in grand stupidity wanting something that sounded like Sleep. And then it hit me: why not just listen to Sleep? And after months of trying to do so, I was finally able to connect with this tasteful album overflowing with smoke.

I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never had the best relationship with Sleep. That’s not to say I don’t respect the hell out of them or love the influence they’ve had over the music I listen to because without these guys a lot of doom and rock acts I love wouldn’t exist. But I’m weird and dumb in the way how I’ve never been really into the sound of Sleep, but I can really get into bands that sometimes exactly like Sleep. So, when I first came into contact with “The Sciences”, it’s honestly taken from release day to right now for me to really get a feel for the record and be able to say I enjoyed it. But I’ve finally reached that point and I have to say that easily the thing I love most about Sleep is how their sound has remained virtually unchanged across the hiatuses which allows “The Sciences” to feel as though Sleep never left us in the first place, and it’s very difficult for any act to do that. Granted, these guys know precisely what they’re doing from top to bottom but it’s still an absolute joy to kick back to these six tracks of naught but fuzz, riffs, and weed the likes of which we’ve seen so many recreations of, but you only get quality like this from the masters and even more so from the originators. It’s fantastic how this band has managed to virtually change nothing with their style since “Dopesmoker” while naturally having a modern gloss to it but enough to where it’s not overbearing, and that’s a very delicate balance that’s easy to lose yourself in. But, come on, it’s Sleep! We all know at this point the grandeur of “Marijuanaut’s Theme” and the glorious riffage of “Antarcticans Thawed”!

It’s not very often a band of this caliber manages to just drop something randomly and have it be quality, and I’m just glad I finally came around to it after all this time to behold how wondrous and fun of a ride it is from beginning to end. “The Sciences” deserves all the acclaim it gets, and surely a sign of good things to come from these legends quite soon (apart from “Leagues Beneath”).

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