Cannabis is as influential to the sub-genre as the desert itself. 'Desert rock,' though used interchangeably with 'stoner rock,' is not necessarily the same thing. Desert rock was a localized phenomenon; stoner rock a psychedelic one. The birthplace of the two, however, is the same.
Sleep's latest album is solid stoner fare fit for your next bad trip. It was gnarly, but could be improved with more melodic range.