Sleep came back in a way big with this year with their new jam "The Clarity," but it sounds like that's all we'll be hearing from the group for a little while.
Jason Roeder, drummer for the weed collective told The Music in basically the nicest way he possibly could that while there is potential for the group to make some more music, it'll be moving at a pretty glacial pace.
“It will happen organically, and only when/if it’s ready. We all respect the Riff and know not to force our will upon it. We are careful not to place too much in front of us or announce anything until it’s ready to go. It’s less stress and it lets us be present and enjoy playing as we go… The Riff decides, Sleep obeys.”
Bassist Al Cisneros shares the sentiment:
“Yeah – we all know if a song is complete. The process is actually the goal. Then you end up with songs eventually. The Iommic path makes itself clear. Attention must be paid during the process then songs automatically evolve.”
I'm not really surprised. Guitarist Matt Pike said something similar back in September and even in the same interview references above, bassist and vocalist Al Cisneros says riffs might manifest but a song isn't necessarily born from every idea. Dopesmoker came out in 2003 and "The Clarity" came out in 2014. We're used to waiting by now, and if you want to get really technical about things, Dopesmoker was just an extended rendition of the group's 1998 record Jerusalem. So you've been waiting even longer than you initially though!
Oh well. Whenever it happens we'll get all excited just like we did last time.
