Look Who it Was Random video

Sleep Holy Mountain Album Review

3,257 views · Published 14 November 2013 · 5:18 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: Ulrich Peise · 2013 · Music

Watch on YouTube

To talk about Sleep's Holy Mountain is very difficult. Most of you will probably already know this piece of music very well. Likely, you will have formed your opinion and Holy Mountain has found a special place in your record collection. The first time I heard this album, I felt that this was really something special and truly unique. Obviously, there is the omnipresent heaviness that is there throughout the whole record. But the more I listen to it, the more I experienced that there is something beyond the fuzzed-out guitars, Wah-Wah bass and percussive drums. Holy Mountain by Sleep is, in a way, a perfect record to meditate to. Yes, that might sound strange to many people but the same, for me is true for their third release, which will talk about separately, called Dopesmoker.

While Sleep is categorized in the Doom and Stoner-Rock genre, I think it would be a huge mistake to reduce their music to what is merely just a descriptor. I personally don't believe in genres, I mean I  understand why they are useful, but I feel that very often we limit ourselves by saying I'm a Metal Fan and I only listen to this or that kind of music. Clearly, if you are not familiar with Doom or Stoner Rock, Holy Mountain might just be a little bit too much for you. But if you love Hard Rock, if you just can't get enough of heavy and sludgy riffs, then you should definitely buy this record. As far as I am concerned I think it is totally awesome and impacted me profoundly. Like most good pieces of music, the more I listen to it, the better it gets. 

Here is a little bit of history around the band Sleep and how they got together: Sleep evolved in the early 1990s from the band Asbestosdeath, which was established by vocalist/bassist Al Cisneros, drummer Chris Hakius, and guitarist Tom Choi. Asbestosdeath expanded to a quartet with the introduction of Matt Pike on guitar, and recorded two singles - "Dejection" for Profane Existence and the self released "Unclean". Choi departed, and would later found Operator Generator, It Is I, Noothgrush, and Las Vegas' Black Jetts. Asbestosdeath recruited Justin Marler as replacement and the band adopted the new name, Sleep.

The tracks on Holy Mountain include: Dragonaut, The Druid, Evil Gypsy/Solomon's Theme, Some Grass, Aquarjan, Holy Mountain, Inside the Sun, From Beyond, Nain's Baptism. Bonus Track: a cover of Black Sabbath's Snowblind. Also, there is a music video on the CD which featured a performance of Dragonaut.

Speaking of Black Sabbath. Some say Sleep sounds like the early Sabbath. I can see why, but again, I think that statement is also a little bit misleading. While you can certainly hear Sabbath's influence, I think that Sleep has it's unique sound. And they definitely took it to the next level in terms of finding the most heavy sound with their equipment. 

I highly recommend that you check out this album. You will either love it or hate it -- I don't think there is anything in between. Either way, as far as I'm concerned, as you can read in my written Sleep's Holy Mountain album review (see link below), it has found its place among my all time favorite records.

http://guitaringenuity.com/sleep-sleeps-holy-mountain-album-review.html

If you like to stay in the loop of my new guitar lessons, tutorials, gear and album reviews, please sign-up for my website. It's all free and I hate spam as much as you do. Oh, and when you sign-up, you will get free lifetime access to the GuitarIngenuity Chordbank, the Ultimate List of Guitar Chords (e-book), and a lifetime coupon to get 15% off of any Vibe String (acoustic guitar strings) purchases. Click below:

http://guitaringenuity.com/freesignup/optin1-2/

Thanks for watching. 

Ulrich Peise
Founder of GuitarIngenuity.com, Acousticalley.com and GitarreGenial.de

More from this channel