Union Transfer with it's big sound was an excellent opportunity to Sleep last night. I need Sleep. They have impacted my life positively for the last 14 years, and that's just under half my lifetime, so I was glad to be, after a three year withdrawal, back to Sleep, in a venue with a sound system I know I like. That place in 2011 the warehouse thing in NYC, that place, did them no favors acoustically speaking.
Tried UT a third time with the lady friend, who hadn't intended upon attending, but, for stoner rock, decided to give getting in a go anyway, and witnessed all Matt, Al, and Jason for the first each or together.
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Windhand I myself had never seen, but I liked the 2012 s/t and was ready for a pummeling. Some people don't dig the buried vocal approach; I'd usually reply Come My Fanatics...but what's the point? People know what they like. Either it's pleasing to your ear or it isn't, I understand.
After a couple of years heavy touring, I was sort of hoping for more from Dorthia, but she mostly walked back and forth, head-banged, or stared at the drummer or any of the three dudes head-banging next to hear. I feel now that the buried vocals are indeed because she sort of just hasn't really come out of her shell or let loose, or maybe she doesn't give a flying fuck about that.
Not everyone's Ben Ward, I get that. Her sultry vocals should be louder and upfront above that fuzzy dirge-y engine made all the more complex acoustically by the two guitarists intertwining and over lapping. I nabbed Soma from some dude in an out there colorful fest, along with two stickers. Good stuff.
I'd see it again, and there was definitely some low end heavy riffage throughout, but Dorthia should wail instead of whisper, that's the only way to separate from the music and be above that wall of sludge, shining down on the din, adding the beauty, the ray of witch-y light.
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Now, Sleep, then. My my my. What a marked, tightened difference three years and a venue change makes. The marijuanauts and taken off, reinvigorated and deeply into jamming on the riff and jamming outright, Matt's playing slower, Al faster, and Jason has found the right sound and is playing with all of those beautiful places between notes. What a filled hour and a half that was, man alive.
In 2011, I sensed in hindsight now much more of a vying between Om and High on Fire both, whereas now, they've honed in to a tee on what the current Sleep sound should and does sound like. Which is what it always was, Matt slowing down and Al filling in those spaces with bass notes every song, just beautifully. Those were my absolute favorite moments, when there was real jamming live on stage, Matt going crazy and metal for a solo while Al kept the Riff. Jason was new to the band still in 2011, but now it's 36 months later and these three musicians have made a new Sleep. Sleep is a gorgeous, fuzzy, heady thing nowadays.
Oh, what's that Al? It's time for a moment of reverence for Tony Iommi, because you're going to play Dragonaut? Sure thing, Al.
I shed a single tear at how awesome the idea of a moment of reverence for Sabbath's guitarist is. Setlist seemed about the same as the one in NY, but I don't recall three new songs, just The Clarity and Antarcticans Thawed, but I may well be wrong. A bit of Dopesmoker and the rest was Holy Mountain love, and it was all gravy. What a difference those three years made on the live show for these guys. Sleep is an essential live band right now. Get out there and get your Sabbath groove on with Sleep. You must Sleep.
Words: Sabbath Jeff
Tried UT a third time with the lady friend, who hadn't intended upon attending, but, for stoner rock, decided to give getting in a go anyway, and witnessed all Matt, Al, and Jason for the first each or together.
After a couple of years heavy touring, I was sort of hoping for more from Dorthia, but she mostly walked back and forth, head-banged, or stared at the drummer or any of the three dudes head-banging next to hear. I feel now that the buried vocals are indeed because she sort of just hasn't really come out of her shell or let loose, or maybe she doesn't give a flying fuck about that.
Not everyone's Ben Ward, I get that. Her sultry vocals should be louder and upfront above that fuzzy dirge-y engine made all the more complex acoustically by the two guitarists intertwining and over lapping. I nabbed Soma from some dude in an out there colorful fest, along with two stickers. Good stuff.
I'd see it again, and there was definitely some low end heavy riffage throughout, but Dorthia should wail instead of whisper, that's the only way to separate from the music and be above that wall of sludge, shining down on the din, adding the beauty, the ray of witch-y light.
Now, Sleep, then. My my my. What a marked, tightened difference three years and a venue change makes. The marijuanauts and taken off, reinvigorated and deeply into jamming on the riff and jamming outright, Matt's playing slower, Al faster, and Jason has found the right sound and is playing with all of those beautiful places between notes. What a filled hour and a half that was, man alive.
In 2011, I sensed in hindsight now much more of a vying between Om and High on Fire both, whereas now, they've honed in to a tee on what the current Sleep sound should and does sound like. Which is what it always was, Matt slowing down and Al filling in those spaces with bass notes every song, just beautifully. Those were my absolute favorite moments, when there was real jamming live on stage, Matt going crazy and metal for a solo while Al kept the Riff. Jason was new to the band still in 2011, but now it's 36 months later and these three musicians have made a new Sleep. Sleep is a gorgeous, fuzzy, heady thing nowadays.
Oh, what's that Al? It's time for a moment of reverence for Tony Iommi, because you're going to play Dragonaut? Sure thing, Al.
I shed a single tear at how awesome the idea of a moment of reverence for Sabbath's guitarist is. Setlist seemed about the same as the one in NY, but I don't recall three new songs, just The Clarity and Antarcticans Thawed, but I may well be wrong. A bit of Dopesmoker and the rest was Holy Mountain love, and it was all gravy. What a difference those three years made on the live show for these guys. Sleep is an essential live band right now. Get out there and get your Sabbath groove on with Sleep. You must Sleep.
Words: Sabbath Jeff