The massive wave-pools Sunn O))) create are more akin to the precisely oscillating soundscapes of minimalist drone composer Tony Conrad than some flint-fingered pseudo-Sabbath acolytes.
Tapping into complex compositional practices without ditching metal's compelling visual aesthetic, the L.A./Paris duo excavates and expands the genre, remapping its coordinates with the lowest frequencies imaginable, in the process mutating its compositional scope: an insistent, visceral buzz transforms sludge drifts into chiropractic chords that strike like thunder cracks. Loud though rarely harsh, the sounds start low, intensifying incrementally until they've transformed the entire listening area into a dank chamber teeming with elegant sustain. Adding to the sensory overload of the Sunn O))) experience, the duo obscures themselves in clouds of thick fog, dressing in hooded robes, periodically thrusting guitars toward the sky.
-Brandon Stosuy