Search - Sunn O))) :: White1

Musical Oblivion

Barry Dejasu | Rehoboth, Massachusetts | 05/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If there was a hell for the spirits of heavy metal, Sunn O))) are the soundtrack to it. Doom, drone, sludge - call it what you will; I like to think of Sunn O))) as "post-metal," the dark equivalent of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Ros. Take away all traditional (and even "untraditional") elements of melody and standard songwriting from a doom band like Black Sabbath, take away the vocals, take away the drums, and what do you have? Well, if you're not sure, then you're a bit closer to knowing what Sunn O))) sound like.



My introduction to Sunn O))) was through their fantastic BLACK ONE, a dark and twisted soundscape of nightmares-made-music. It took me a while to hunt down another album, and what I got was this. White1 is a very different beast than BLACK, and while only marginally "lighter" in terms of overall mood, it carries you into that same world of oblivion which Sunn O))) rule.



I normally don't review albums song-by-song, but since there are only three on this album...



1 - "My Wall" (25:30)

Basically the first half of this song is a long and bizarre poem being recited by Julian Cope (!), with Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley doing their "guitar riffs of doom" thing in the background. Then things get interesting, as the music comes forth with its full onslaught of long, trailing, doomish riffs and powerful use of volume and reverb which Sunn O))) are famous for.



2 - "The Gates of Ballard" (17:22)

It starts with faint riffs in the background while guest Runhild Gammelsaeter (of Thorr's Hammer fame) quotes a traditional Norse folk song, "Havard Hedde." The track then switches to a more easily-digestible series of changing tempos and rhythms, powered by Greg Anderson's chugging guitar riffs over drum machine beats, often breaking down into long, ambient moments of riffs and muddy reverb. The "bridge" of the song is a memorable drone of slowly-increasing volume, making for a fairly spacey (and somewhat creepy) climax before leveling out into the main riff/beat cycle again.



3 - "A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You" (15:36)

Fade-in, fade-out. That's the majority of this track, with croaking notes and some creepy, ambient sound effects adding to the mix. Occasionally there are twangs and gongs, almost like bizarre church bells, often accompanied by absolutely eerie breaths and sighs (is it even human??). This is probably the creepiest track on this album.



There isn't a whole lot more that can be said about this, or any other album by Sunn O))). Theirs is music for feeling, not thought.



And by the way, for those not in the know, the band's name is pronounced as "sun." The "O)))" is just a part of their logo, which is itself the very logo of the amplifier company of the same name.

---

"...stand in the thrall, stand in the thrall, stand in the thrall of my wall!""

DOOM MOOD

M. Starr | Kansas City | 11/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The etymological meaning of the word `doom' is that which is a judicial condemnation or sentence against something or someone. Now, if you were to take this meaning, and apply it to the sound of music, sunnO))) (simply pronounced Sunn) would be the epitome of the word. Containing members of semi-unfamiliar bands such as Khanate, Burning Witch, Goatsnake, and The Melvins' Joe Preston, White-1 is the sound of what it must feel like to be buried alive in the darkest cemeteries of England. Heavy guitar drones and feedback move at a snail's pace while vocals are laid over the top in a spoken-word fashion. Julian Cope appears for the first track, the 25-minute "My Wall," where he slowly tells the poetic story of a Johnny Guitar. I'm not really sure who Johnny Guitar is, but... He also mentions all the members of the band as if to further connect himself to this project. On "The Gates of Ballard," muffled and horrific lyrics lead the way to the albums first sign of a recognizable chord progression. A slow drumbeat, that sometimes sounds synthetic, adds a nice element of density before it's slowly pulled away to expose the familiar guitar drones that remain the constant focus of White-1. The last track is one that separates itself from the previous two songs. The guitar is used mostly as a medium for producing low rumbles of black soot. It uses vocals as sounds rather than using them for the purpose of speaking or singing. It's a very disturbing, albeit overwhelming, atmosphere; and one that takes nearly an hour to accomplish. I can't help but really like this album, though. It's not so much a metal album as it is an experiment of pure dark mood. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe there's some irony to the fact that mood, spelled backwards, is doom. Coincidence? Who knows?"

(((Sound)))

Mono-Grind | Here | 02/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sunn 0))) are underground. Alot lot of people haven't heard of them. Which is good, because it makes them even more special to those who do know them. But bad in the way that they deserve attention, because they are doing something different from the rest. I guess, from the interviews i've read of the band, that they really don't care if anyone knows them, or even likes them. The only thing that motivates them to play, is playing. And that's whats great about it. They follow no "popular trends" at all.



My only complaint on this album is the first track My Wall, featuring Julian Cope. Pretty much only because of the spoken words during the whole song. It makes it hard to listen to, for me at least. Other than that, it's yet another good song by Sunn 0))). The second track The Gates of Ballard, is possibly my favourite Sunn 0))) song ever. I listened to it up loud, in the dark with the lights off, when i first heard it. It's like a mix of The Exorcist and the band Eyehategod. It's brutal. And it would be so fun to play for them.



If you are prepared to sit through 15-25 minute songs full of vibrating riffs that sometimes are barely audible..This is definitely for you. I recommend this to really anyone wanting something different. I'm not sure how to explain what genre this would fit into..maybe no genre. It would fit into the Noise genre at least. Noise/Minimal/Ambient..I'm not sure. It's all of those things and more though. Definitely recommended for those wanting something different, something unique."