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Sleep

Sleep, often hailed as one of the seminal bands in the development of stoner doom metal, was formed in San Jose, California in 1990. The trio, consisting of Al Cisneros on bass and vocals, Matt Pike on guitar, and Chris Hakius on drums (later to be replaced by Jason Roeder), forged a sound heavily influenced by the pioneering work of Black Sabbath. Their distinct style is characterized by down-tuned, slow riffs, thickly distorted guitar tone, and lyrical themes often touching upon marijuana. Sleep's music not only became the blueprint for stoner metal but also helped to solidify the genre's popularity in the underground music scene of the 1990s.

After releasing "Volume 1" in 1991, Sleep's critical breakthrough came with their second album, "Sleep's Holy Mountain," in 1992, which cultivated a cult following and is frequently listed among the greatest doom metal albums of all time. However, it was their ambitious single-track album "Dopesmoker" (initially shelved by their record label and eventually released in various forms and under different names) that became the stuff of legend, not only for its one-hour-plus runtime but for the devotion to its concept and execution. Sleep disbanded in 1998, leaving behind a legacy that would influence countless bands. They reunited in 2009, touring and eventually surprising fans with a new album, "The Sciences," in 2018, which was released on Jack White's Third Man Records to critical acclaim. Sleep continues to command a dedicated fan base, and their contributions to metal are enshrined as some of the most innovative and enduring the genre has ever seen.

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