Search - Sunn O))), Boris :: Altar

I was expecting more.

Doktor | Boston, MA USA | 02/25/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I knew of Boris but I haven't heard any of their recordings. I picked this up because of Sunn. I too overall found this disc on the underwhelming side, which is a shame because there are some truly outstanding parts. In track three, I could've done without the indie pop vocals and boring lyrics: "don't ask me why" and "all my life". Yawn. It could've been a nice chill instrumental instead with piano being the focal point. The vocoding is uninventive. There's more to vocode than many let on. How about drums with a synth pad or guitar with bass or... anything but vocals with a synth sound. Skinny Puppy already explored and mastered that many, many years ago. Track two sounds like filler. As a Lustmord fan, I like great ambience as much as the next guy, but I've heard a lot of it. It's simple to do and easily sounds "same-y". Track two's doesn't do much or explore any unorthodox textures, but at least it's done well for what it is. I do like the drumming and drum production; sounds meaty and dark with the bass guitar too, which is refreshing because I like a good bass guitar. Would've liked further monolithic riffing peppered throughout the six tracks. The sinister Black One is far superior to Sunn's work here. The packaging is great, good design colors and font style. I'd say Altar is only pretty good and a decent addition to my Sunn library for the moments I do enjoy."

Does not live up to its promise

Surferofromantica | Singapore | 12/26/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Boris and Sunn0))) are two bands - the former is from Tokyo, the latter is from the USA - and they both play unconventional heavy music. They have toured for a while together, hence this collaboration. Sunn0))) typically presents a mass of heavy bass sounds, without percussion or keyboards or vocalists, while Boris is like Blue Cheer turned up to 11 (they also have their experimental albums where anything goes). The standout track for me on this CD is the opener, "Etna," which is gloomy Sabbath-like dirge stuff that picks up into a very Boris-like blues metal screecher. Until the guitars pick up, nearly half of the song is Atsou's drum avalanche. Play it next Hallowe'en at top volume.



The rest of the album is experimental and rather... odd. "N.L.T." is percussive, "the Sinking Belle" is a sweet song that seems to have gotten mislaid from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. "Akuma no Kuma" (Boris have a song called "Akuma no uta" which means "Satan's Song," while "Akuma no Kuma" means "Satan's Bear") is a bunch of drum and synth noise while Joe Preston (well known from Boris and Thrones) makes noise on a vocorder. Bizarre stuff. "Fried Eagle Mind" is a rare song that has Boris guitarist Wata on vocals. She sounds also very David Lynch sorta, so... "Blood Swam" is very much like typical Sunn0))) (and Boris on some of their releases) which drones on for nearly 15 minutes, the longest track on the album."

Hauntingly awesome.

Tyler | Ontario, Canada | 01/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So many words to describe this album. Dark, beautiful, sludgy, and brilliant all come to mind. This is definitely the best music I've heard from both Sunn O))) and Boris.



The drums really, really add to Sunn O)))'s extremely deep, distorted guitars. It makes their music even more interesting.



The vocals couldn't be any better. Jesse Sykes does a fantastic job on The Sinking Bell and the robotic, droning vocals on Akuma No Kuma are unbelievably awesome. Perfectly done.



Seriously, guys, everything about this album is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't recommend it more to drone metal fans. I recently got into the genre and I'm most certainly not disappointed with this release."