Artist: Sunn O)))
Album: Black One
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") began as a tribute to drone pioneers Earth, but soon began to darken the drone-doom genre to its very edge. This album can be a great masterpiece for those that are interested, but most will never truly appreciate it. For those that don't know, drone-doom is a subgenre of doom metal that is classified by extremely creeping slow riffs and sometimes no riffs whatsoever. Many drone bands don't even have a vocalist, and drums are almost never in the mix. Each drone album is composed of two or three songs, sometimes one song lasting over an hour in length, and anyone who isn't used to its unforgiving sound may find themselves simply bored.
Now that's all aside, let's get to the root of the album. Throughout, the album uses signature drone guitars, very true to the original Sunn and Earth, and also implements downbeat, melancholy classical instruments. This album is all about sorrow, and you will feel it here. The vocals on this album -which make up only a few songs- are screamed in agony from certain famous black metal vocalists and sound truly like death is creeping towards them. I read somewhere that, for one of the vocal sections, the vocalist was actually locked inside a coffin to more accurately set the correct mood. You will never hear more frightening sounds from your speakers, especially if you turn the nob to its highest. This album is certainly not for everyone, but people with this special 'interest', it is a true masterpiece.
Overall rating: 5/5
Buy or Burn: I would suggest buying it, but I had a very difficult time finding this (in fact, ANY drone music) in my local music store, so, downloading it might be a better decision.
Album: Black One
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") began as a tribute to drone pioneers Earth, but soon began to darken the drone-doom genre to its very edge. This album can be a great masterpiece for those that are interested, but most will never truly appreciate it. For those that don't know, drone-doom is a subgenre of doom metal that is classified by extremely creeping slow riffs and sometimes no riffs whatsoever. Many drone bands don't even have a vocalist, and drums are almost never in the mix. Each drone album is composed of two or three songs, sometimes one song lasting over an hour in length, and anyone who isn't used to its unforgiving sound may find themselves simply bored.
Now that's all aside, let's get to the root of the album. Throughout, the album uses signature drone guitars, very true to the original Sunn and Earth, and also implements downbeat, melancholy classical instruments. This album is all about sorrow, and you will feel it here. The vocals on this album -which make up only a few songs- are screamed in agony from certain famous black metal vocalists and sound truly like death is creeping towards them. I read somewhere that, for one of the vocal sections, the vocalist was actually locked inside a coffin to more accurately set the correct mood. You will never hear more frightening sounds from your speakers, especially if you turn the nob to its highest. This album is certainly not for everyone, but people with this special 'interest', it is a true masterpiece.
Overall rating: 5/5
Buy or Burn: I would suggest buying it, but I had a very difficult time finding this (in fact, ANY drone music) in my local music store, so, downloading it might be a better decision.
