Sleep have announced they’ve parted ways with Matt Pike ahead of a North American tour later this year.
News of Pike’s departure has been shared alongside a new single, Have Spacesuit Will Travel, which marks the influential doom-metal outfit’ first new material since 2018. In Pike’s place, Sleep have recruited Bubba Dupree of Void fame – a choice that might take some fans by surprise.
“Bubba Dupree, from the fiercely loved band Void, hailing out of Columbia, MD, is a pick that is not only completely mind-blowing, but a choice no one would have seen coming,” a press statement reads.
“Just the thought of Bubba, who was amazing from the first Void shows on, playing guitar in Sleep is almost too much for the mind to comprehend.”
Until this point, Pike has been the band’s only constant member throughout its history alongside bassist, vocalist and leader Al Cisnero. Pike has featured on every album thus far, most recently contributing to their 2018 comeback record, The Sciences.
No reason for Pike’s exit has been given, but a press release from Sleep states: “Have Spacesuit Will Travel begins Sleep’s first mission without Matt Pike on guitar.
“The music and art are alive and after the decades of obstacles that Sleep has overcome, it is time to move forward and make songs and albums. Al wishes Matt the best on his earth bound maneuvers.”
As well as starring in Void – the hardcore punk act that heralded from Columbia in the 1980s – Bubba Dupree has also played with the likes of Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron, and in 2022 formed a supergroup with the Soundgarden alumni and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic.
Dupree is in the new-look Sleep lineup with drummer Dale Crover, whose credits include stints with the Melvins and Redd Kross.
“The vibe of the first jam was obvious,” Cisneros states. “It was blue sunglasses-era Iommi in the quality, and equally awesome is Bubba is also one of the coolest people I’ve been able to make music with.”
Have Spacesuit Will Travel has been earmarked as a departure from Sleep’s 2018 record, owing to the amount of new blood in the band. As Dupree notes in the press release, imitation would “greatly limit the potential of three very unique and talented musicians”.
Sleep will embark on a North American tour later this year, starting on September 8 in San Diego and concluding at Washington DC’s Lincoln Theatre on November 17.
For a full list of dates and tickets head over to Hemisphere.
In 2022, Pike sat down with Guitar World for an in-depth reflection on his career, looking back on both his Sleep and High on Fire days.
