Sunn 0))) - White1
Southern Lord
http://www.southernlord.com
2003
1. My Wall
2. The Gates of Ballard
3. A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You
Slow, repetitive, simplistic, and pointless. A sparse few vocal samples strewn across 3 riffs (one for each song). That might not be so bad, except that the average song length is nearly 20 minutes. White1 sounds like some stoner sitting in his basement playing the same thing over and over again on guitar while blitzed beyond belief, every once in awhile pressing the start button on his drum machine or double-clicking a .WAV file or two on his PC for "vocals." So why do I enjoy it so damn much?
There really isn't any way to describe this album other than by calling it extremely simple and minimalistic. Most of the album consists of repetitious guitarwork with occasional subharmonic sound effects peppering the monotony. Where this album succeeds is in its ability to draw the listener in, and every possible subtlety becomes a challenge to figure out what the hell is going on, and what might happen next. SUNN 0))) might seem like they never get going on White1, but that doesn't really matter because wherever they may be heading, they are already there. I normally hate to write in such a cryptic manner, but it is truly fitting for this wonderful enigma of an album.
This is quite a creepy affair. Not in any overt way like a gore metal bloodfest that transcends goofiness, or even in the subtle way some avant garde offerings try to give you nightmares, but something very different. I find myself looking over my shoulder several times while listening, just to make sure that what I am hearing is on the CD and not some axe wielding maniac sneaking up behind me. White1 could very easily blend into the background of a cocktail party if played at low volume, and none of the guests would notice anything strange until they drove home and had the sudden urge to plow their car straight off a cliff.
This is another album that is certainly not for everyone, and more than likely it will be either loved as genius or hated like trash by anyone who pays attention to it. I can't help but love this sort of subtle terror, but realize that many won't agree with me. Hopefully you will at least give it a shot, and maybe even survive the journey as well.
8/10
NAD
So why do we, well I, why do I like the music? It's cathartic and emotive in a sense, although some may not understand it on that level. It's also auditorally stimulating. It gives an alien vibe, it takes me to a place other forms of music have not. Sorry if you can't understand drone.
