And this experience, and connection with nature have helped shape the album. 18-minute opener XXANNcontains an unexpected element subtly detectable underneath the ear-shattering screech from the juncture where a riff is decelerated until it becomes an insistent subterranean drone: a trickle of spring water. The sound of running water also herald’s the arrival of Mindrolling before ominous and relentless heavy rumble kicks in, and within the intense industrial feel of album closer Glory Black there’s heavy bass piano notes and muted heavy bells set against more running water, which appears again at the end to lead us out of the album to a strangely calming peace.
SUNN O))) is not for everyone. I guess it’s like Marmite. For some that first taste, it’s a yes or a no, and the same here. Some will hear it for the first time, and will switch off, not get it, consider it noise. But to the open minder, and patient listener, SUNN O))) brings a wealth of depth to explore. Far from being just relentless, monotonous noise, deep in those heavy tones, there is a wealth of hypnotic texture and enriching detail that is far easier to simply feel and become immersed in than do justice to with words.
They take classic metal riffs, down tune them and slow them down with intense delay and sustain creating a sound where it almost feels like time itself is slowing down. It’s as if you’re listening to metal, as you’re being pulled into the accretion disk of a black hole, slowing to an eternity tone.
And it’s not just about the recordings themselves. SUNN O))) create a fully immersive experience, both audio and visual and seek out collaborative opportunities for the album itself.
Following collaborations with the likes of Joanne Ratcliffe for “Black One”, Richard Serra for “Monoliths & Dimensions”, Angela LaFont Bolliger for “Kannon” and Samantha Keely Smith for “Life Metal” and “Pyroclasts”, O’Malley and Anderson apprached and were granted permission by the estate of the late American artist Mark Rothko to reproduce two of his paintings on the album’s sleeve.
For the album’s liner notes, these were provided by award-winning British writer Robert Macfarlane, famed for his works concerning landscape and the multifaceted relationship between humanity and nature. “I’ve been very interested in Robert’s writing for a long time,” says O’Malley. “He was very up for engaging with this project. And what he ended up turning in was mind-blowing. It’s part of the creative process, framing our music in a certain way, visually and with language, before presenting it to the world.”
All of which adds up to a fully immersive experience, uniting sound, word and visual into something that is undeniably, completely SUNN O))).
Well ? I love it ! There’s a depth and variety to the new material, a place to sit and spend time with, and explore every nook and every tone. “SUNN O)))” is an immersive experience and one to take time with. A masterclass in metal deconstructed and well worth a 9.5/10 from LiveWire Music.