Apparently Sleep have finally had their input on the mastering of Dopesmoker and it appears it will be the definitive version along with new artwork.
Southern Lord has announced a deluxe reissue of one of the towering achievements in metal history, "Dopesmoker" by SLEEP.

"For the 2012 reissue, there are some very notable changes. The original studio tapes have been remastered, presenting the album as the band had originally intended. The audio is clearer, louder, and at last brings a true representation of SLEEP's hour-plus Weedian chronicle. Exclusive to this Southern Lord edition is brand new artwork by longtime SLEEP artist Arik Roper, to be unveiled in the coming weeks. Additionally, this reborn version of "Dopesmoker" boasts an unreleased live recording of one of the band's best all-time performances: "Holy Mountain" from San Francisco's I-Beam in 1994.

This edition ensures that this mesmerizing, incredibly complex document remains unrivaled in the annals of stoner metal."

"Dopesmoker" track listing:

01. Dopesmoker (1:03:31)
02. Holy Mountain (Live @ the I-Beam SF, CA. 1994) (11:54)

http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla ... mID=170980

I think it's fucking spectacular that Southern Lord are taking care of this. They never do wrong especially with packaging and artwork.

I've got the digipack reissue with the Sonic Titan bonus track and it sounds perfectly fine to me. I'd be curious to hear some samples from the remaster but cleaner and louder aren't really attributes that I think will help my enjoyment. You're right about Southern Lord knowing how to perdy up a package but I can't see buying another version of this.

Sweet. I will probably try and pick this up at some point. I used to have Jerusalem, but I never liked how the song was split into multiple tracks.

I always wanted to get this but all the copies online were way too expensive. I will definitely buy this one.

everything is "louder" these days, it's not [always] a good thing.
i've got he tee pee records digipak reissue too: http://www.discogs.com/Sleep-Dopesmoker/release/505500

Yeah. The loudness wars plagues every corner of music these days.

Ive already sat through the whole song so I wont be doing that again

the blurb they put in that reissue sounded like they were happy with iti prefer sons of otis

The only Sleep album I own is Holy Mountain so this is most certainly relevant to my interests.

And only a few months after I paid too much for the CD reissue. Oh well, I'm a sucker, so I'll probably grab this one too.

Cool news. On a sidenote, any news on the new Shrinebuilder album!?

Sounds like a pretty excellent remaster/re-release. I don't have any version of this album so I just might have to buy this, or at least see if it makes the older version cheaper.

yeah fuck, me too

I have this version too. It's great. New reissue seems pointless unless you really want it on vinyl.

so does this mean the value of my tee pee reissue goes up or down?!

Agreed. It's great this is getting the Southern Lord treatment because hell knows I am not paying $80+ for the Tee Pee version on vinyl. Interesting that they are using the same guy who did the artwork for the Tee Pee version.

Personally, I love Sleep's Holy Mountain, but hate Jerusalem/Dopesmoker. It's way too damn repetitive, on a riff that never excited me in the first place.

Holy Mountain should get a remaster. It's a great album, but the sound quality is horrible.

Wow really? My CD copy of Holy Mountain sounds amazing. Never heard the vinyl but I can't imagine it being much different. There's a lot less roughness/distortion on that album, just big open Sabbath-worshipping tones.

I feel the same way. I never got the appeal of dopesmoker

Holy Mountain has been remastered, only on the Kreation Records LPs, though. I think the sound is fine on the original: muddy, but it works.

Yeah, I'm not sure why it'd need a remaster. if the packaging is brilliant I might be down... but I'm pretty happy with my version as is, the artwork is already totally killer. Plus, it's something I listen to once a month tops, so I can't really justify buying another copy of the same thing. I should get Holy Mountain at some time though, heard so many good things...

Holy Mountain is amazing but you would definitely need to drop any and all expectations for something comparable to Dopesmoker. That album is a fucking merciless journey through alien deserts. Holy Mountain is a lot more catchy and immediate, and I've always thought it had a fairly open 70s sounding production/mix so I'm surprised to see all this talk of it needing a remaster.

I can't believe they're gonna make remove a lot of the fuzz from this. It makes no sense!!!!!

The spacey production on Holy Mountain was perfect for the music, part of the charm was in how little extra noise and unnecessary thickness to the sound there was. It sounds like a stoner jam session.

I'm interested to hear how Dopesmoker sounds when remastered, I've seen them play it live twice and I think the guitar sound on the album wasn't as thick as intended. The noise and fuzz seemed to overpower the warmth and wetness of the amp-worship sound.

You don't know how lucky you are.

This sounds interesting! I already have the digipack edition of this, but will most likely get this new edition to.

Also, I am seeing them live 5 may in Oslo!

Wino's busy with Saint Vitus and Dale with the Melvins, plus I think Neurosis is working on something new, so, I think Shrinebuilder won't happen for a while.

I remember hearing about them working on a sophomore release but that was at least two years ago when they were talking about it. I'm definitely excited for new Saint Vitus and Melvins but a new Shrinebuilder would most certainly be welcome this year.

I saw Shrinebuilder at Scion Fest in 2010 and they were just... not good...

Dude! You really should have heard it. Great listen. Closer to Master Of Reality than Dopesmoker though.

Is the 2009 digipak of Holy Mountain remastered?

I didn't even know there was a 2009 digipack. I'd be interested in this information too.

I don't think so. A few friends purchased it recently and their copies sound the same as mine, not positive if they have the digipak though. I even have it on cassette

It's generally advertised as being remastered if it is, especially through a label like Earache. I don't think anyone wants it to be remastered - the original recording was sent out as a demo and released exactly as it was.

According to discogs, it's not remastered. This release doesn't state that it's a digi except in the picture. If you look at the sticker you can see where it says digipak.

http://www.discogs.com/Sleep-Sleeps-Holy-Mountain/release/1833137

The new cover art has been released. Another cool piece by Arik Roper, as always.

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2012/04/02/sleep-dopesmoker-deluxe-reissue-cover-art-revealed/

That's some lame Star Wars fanfiction artwork there.

It looks amazing to me. I guess it helps if you're familiar with the Dopesmoker storyline...The weed priests look a little more encumbered than I originally envisioned but I really dig it, especially their tanks which I assume are feeding them constant chronic smoke... I'm still not planning on replacing my perfectly good copy but I wish I could swap covers.

Oh yeah, the Pacman logo is just awesome.

Wow, that's beautiful. The weed priests look a lot like a cross between Jawas and Tusken Raiders. I think I might have found a new desktop background.

Please shoot me a PM if you find one in a suitable size. That was THE first things I started looking for when I saw it.

The logo is definitely different, and a bit arcade-y, but I think the colors reaaaaallly work well together. I could care less which logo they use.

If anybody cares, Daymare Recordings is going to be releasing this reissue in Japan, but it'll be a 2CD set. The first disc will have the Dopesmoker song, and disc 2 will have two songs: "Holy Mountain" (Live), and "Sonic Titan"