Jerusalem

Following the buzz behind Sleep’s 1993 album Holy Mountain, the stoner rock/doom metal trio signed to London Records. After nearly two years, Sleep submitted its epic “Dopesmoker,” a single song clocking in at 63 minutes. Predictably, the label claimed “Dopesmoker” not suitable for release and dropped Sleep from the London Records roster. The band subsequently parted ways. Eric Lemasters of The Music Cartel bought the rights to the recording and released “Dopesmoker” in 1999 under the title Jerusalem; although the song remains the same, it was divided into six tracks that play seamlessly. The album/song builds on a monolithic mantra of Sabbath-esque guitar riffs similar to that of Holy Mountain’s “From Beyond” before the rhythm comes in, rolling and pounding like some kind of lunar-roving juggernaut. Al Cisneros’ guttural singing doesn’t even enter until well past the seven-minute mark, but the wait is worth it as his lyrics unfold an inadvertently hilarious narrative about a caravanning tribe called “Weedians” and their quest to the “riff-filled land.”