“Shiver” is the sixth chapter of Ripple Music’s “Beneath The Desert Floor” series, which unearths long-lost treasures from the golden days of stoner and desert rock.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area, The Sabians feature two former members of doom metal legends Sleep, whose three seminal early 90’s albums were among the most influential of the genre. After taking part in the sessions for Sleep’s first album, 1991’s “Vol. 1”, guitarist Justin Marler quit the band and enlisted with a Russian Orthodox monastery, where he spent the next seven years training to become a monk.

Once he had completed his studies, Marler reunited with Sleep drummer Chris Hakius in 1999 to form The Sabians. With the help of fellow Sleep alumni Matt Pike (by then fronting High on Fire), the duo secured a rehearsal space and began auditioning musicians. Lead guitarist Patrick Huerta soon came on board, but a small army of bassists slipped through their ranks before the arrival of Rachel Fischer in late 2001.

Says Justin Marler about the album: “The music on The Sabians album Shiver is a direct result of my time in the monastery, where I wared with my demons. The album is a musical expression of spiritual warfare, with songs like One by One, Sweet Misery, and Cannibal Machine that dig deep into the fight for one’s soul. A few years before forming The Sabians, I was on a remote island in Alaska living as a monk in a Russian Monastery. I wrote a book called ‘Youth of the Apocalypse’ a couple years after leaving Sleep. The book captures my thoughts about the world, pop culture and religion while I was a monk. It was out of print for decades until a new edition was released by Big White Star.”

“Shiver” was recorded in March 2003 and released in July 2003, featuring nine songs and a hidden track. It was engineered by Masaki Liu. It will be reissued in Burning Red Marbled Limited LP edition, Darkest Before Dawn Black Limited LP edition as well as digital format through Ripple Music, with preorders available below. You can listen to “Shiver” in full on all streaming services.