BAND: SUNN O))) -(LA, CALIFORNIA, USA/PARIS, FRANCE) GENRE: DRONE/DOOM LABEL: SOUTHERN LORD RELEASE DATE (S): 5/18/09 (UK AND EU) 5/26/09 (NORTH AMERICA)
BEST RELEASE (S): MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS (2009), BLACK ONE (2005), FLIGHT OF THE BEHEMOTH (2002, 2007)
TRACKLISTING : SUNN O))) : MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS:
- "Aghartha" - 17:34
- "Big Church" - 9:43
- "Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)" - 10:02
- "Alice" - 16:21
ITP RATING: **** 1/2
PRODUCTION: **** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: **** 1/2
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SUNN O))) (pronounced SUNN-with a silent O-Stephen O' Malley and Greg Anderson) are an LA, California based drone/doom project whom integrate instrumental bowel shuttering drone with black/ambient soundscapes. SUNN O))) are named after a brand of amplifiers as the project often perform live dressed as druids in robes (grim robes), and occasionally with guest musicians.
O' Malley and Anderson both employ electric bass and droning guitars to create the most surreal atmospheres of ambient beauty and darkness. No drums and only up to recently no vocals, all instrumental.. To enjoy SUNN O))), one would have to think "outside the box" free of musical conventions or song structure, as ambient, heavy noise, and rumbling bass are performed at glass shattering volumes.
In fact, if one figures the many noise/drone, experimental projects that laid the foundation for SUNN O))) including WHITEHOUSE, MERZBOW and O' Malley's former project KHANATE, one would figure how to even make "music" without a standard musical instrument. WHITEHOUSE often wrote pieces employing the sound of dripping water.
SUNN O))) have been a divisive subject of much debate in heavy music and doom circles, are they music? Is this REAL?
Since the release of SUNN O)))'s critically acclaimed WHITE 1 and WHITE 2 excursions, the project has expanded conceptually with many guest musicians employing a variation of instrumentation while keeping the projects standard droning noise ethic, in the fragile foundation of experimentation. MALEFIC from XASTHUR and WREST from black/ambient projects LEVIATHAN have contributed to the droning noise beast SUNN O))).
Of course, most recently ATILLA CSIHAR (MAYHEM) has performed with and contributed to SUNN O))) as we are curious on how CSIHAR would approach the fragile experimentation of such a project.....
SUNN O)))'s collaborators couldn't be more convincing as "Monoliths and Dimensions" is by far
the most compelling release of this drone duo's career.
SUNN O)))'s "Monoliths and Dimensions" opens with the epic 17:34 track "Aghartha" as the Earth drones. "Aghartha" opens with heavy, droning, downtuned bass, damn cool too, epic enough to show your horns \m/. About 5:18 into "Aghartha", the power bass drone is backed with light ambiance and...5:37 into "Aghartha" ATTILA CSIHAR creeps in with some sick spoken monologue , creeeepyyy. ATTILA's spoken word on SUNN O))'s "Monoliths and Dimensions" invoke a new meaning to heavy, this dude sounds psychotic, in a measured spoken word, mono tone, as if this is what he would say before he slit your throat. About 9:00 into "Aghartha", the backround droning ambiance suddenly progresses to a louder dynamic, with atonal piano chords as if you're in a hornets nest, surrounded and can't get away, utterly annoying and terrifying. Within 14:00 into "Aghartha", the floor drops with a buzzing drone/ambiance and ATIILA's vindictive spoken word: "and forget everything"as if he just dumped the body in the water, and yes, that is the ambient sound of water, as "Aghartha" ends with ATIILA's patented scream. Excellent.
"Big Church" enters beautifully with a choir, (yes, CHOIR -Persian vocalist Jessica Kenney/womens choir) segueing into heavy/bass power drone, integrated within the surreal ambiance of the choirs beauty vs. the ugliness of the power/bass drone and ATTILA's chants. At 2:43, "The Big Church" shifts gears into slow, plodding bass/power drone as the surreal tones of the chamber/choir echo, segueing into Gregorian chants in a meditative drone of dark beauty. Amazing..
Don't adjust your EQ, the first :49 seconds of "Hunting and; Gathering (Cydonia)" would provoke you to kick your speakers, leveling out to traditional power drone with ATTILA's half spoken and half sung vocals. Within 2:49 into "Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)" SUNN O))) invoke a progressive instrumental ambiance of power and beauty. "Hunting and Gathering" employs diverse instrumentation such as French and English horns adding an organic touch to SUNN O)))'s ambiance, beauty verses droning darkness.
SUNN O)))'s "Monoliths and Dimensions" closes with the epic "Alice" crawling slowly, with bass drone, every note stroked majestically, every vibration provoking an orgasmic earthquake. With light synths and French/English horns melding the gap in between "Alice" and her bleak soundscapes , the epic slowly progresses. "Alice" trades the (upright) bass drone for guitar and a wondrous brass instrumentation (French Horns, violin, harp and viola) washing over "Alice" in an epic triumph of ambient/jazz and mesmerizing beauty.
A-Mazing, awesome.
"Monoliths and Dimensions" is indeed SUNN O)))'s shining hour, melding epic brass arrangements (composer Eyvind Kang -French/English and Tibetan Horns, Choirs, Harp, Viola, Chamber,Trombone, Spoken Word) into a cohesive art of droning dark beauty. From the depths of apocalyptic terror to the bliss of beautiful ambient/jazz, SUNN O))) open the sub conscious to an uplifting realm.
As dawn breaks over New York, "Alice" summons me that (the) SUNN O))) has risen over the Apocalypse.
ITP RATING: **** 1/2
PRODUCTION: **** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: **** 1/2ITP V.09 RE RATE/BLAST BACK:
UNDERRATED:
SUNN O))): MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS:http://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/10/itp-review-sunn-o-monoliths-and.html
SUNN O))) are a duo that illicit a love hate relationship with music fans as many of the bands detractors consider them incohesive noise. Yes, either you LOVE or HATE SUNN O ))) and there is NO inbetween NOR casual listeners. ATILLA's (MAYHEM) menacing, and let's face it, sexy spoken word melded with ambient drone and wondrous horn arrangements broke multi genre musical boundaries in a dark beauty.
YES, this is absolutely stunning music.
ITP ORIGINAL RATING:
ITP RATING: **** 1/2
PRODUCTION: **** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: **** 1/2
ITP RE RATE: *****
PRODUCTION: **** 1/2
SONGWRITING: ****
PERFORMANCE: **** 1/2
FROM SUNN O))) "MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS" (VIA BANDCAMP, COURTESY OF SUNN O)))):
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
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