sunn O))) - sunn O))) - Loser Edition Color Vinyl - 2XLP

The six compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Opener “XXANN” enters with howling feedback before crunching into what might at first seem familiar territory until one registers the sound of water trickling beneath. “Mindrolling” likewise incorporates field recordings, as does “Glory Black”, which in addition introduces piano, by turns sonorous and delicate, into the mix, lending the already formidable piece a hushed, solemn feel. The Newcastle-forged originators of black metal get a shout out in the title of “Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?” which seems to position Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon as deep listeners, attuned to their Tyneside surroundings in much the same way as SUNN O))) are to the forest enfolding Bear Creek Studios. Throughout the album, the interplay between O’Malley and Anderson attains fresh heights of telepathic intensity as they shape a music that itself breathes the bracing, earthy air of the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s always developing,” says Anderson. “That’s a constant, and that’s what sustains my interest and passion. There’s a movement that’s happening, whether it’s forward, backwards, to the side, whatever.

That’s what makes playing in this group, at least for me, different and unique and special.” 

A        XXANN    18:20
B1        Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?
Electric Bass [Electric Bass Guitar] – Stephen O'Malley
7:33
B2        Butch's Guns    14:09
C        Mindrolling    18:12
D1        Everett Moses
Electric Bass [Electric Bass Guitar] – Gregory Anderson*
10:51
D2        Glory Black    10:30