Sunn O)))
Dømkirke (disc 1)

THE REVIEW

Darkness, pitch black, blurred vision, dancing shadow, heavy mammoth of roaring drones, guitars that seem to come from deep space or from the very center of planet Earth, catacombal slowness, night vision of monsters within us, terrifying and metaphysical sensation: Sunn O))) are back and they've done it again, they've instilled fear before us, and they won't leave again, because they will return soon, very soon, to overwhelm us with pure and healthy terror after what emerged from this recent release in a precious deluxe double LP package.

Domkirke, indeed, recorded live, in a Norwegian church, more precisely in the gothic cathedral of Bergen; the two of them, always them: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, hooded as always (as shown in the photos inside the beautiful packaging of the records, black as the music contained within), accompanied by the trusty and perhaps now an actual third member of the group, Attila Csihar, and other companions of darkness: the good Steve Moore (recognized for his contribution to the recent Earth and for his solo works under the name Stebmo), Lasse Marhaug (sick Norwegian mind, manipulator of waves without light) and others.

4 tracks, carrying forward what was done in the monumental "Black One", blending it with greater rituality and atmosphere (given the location, it’s no surprise); 4 tracks, we said, where everything and nothing happens, where in the darkness you hear an organ (played by Steve, the very cathedral organ), a single, spectral note, carried forward, until a scream breaks, and it is a medieval mantra, almost Gregorian, a psalm to the lord of darkness, it is Attila, and it chills our blood; 15 minutes of duettic ecstasy between voice and organ; 15 minutes of black mantric and spiritual fire. From here on, there is no more hope or desire to turn back: the guitars rise, slow, grave, deep, waves of undulating synth daze the air, while organ and voice are almost always there to counterpoint each other, creeping, whispers, laments, screams, in the midst a trombone making something already black even darker and more epic.

"Domkirke" is this and more, Domkirke is evil, it's black metal in spirit, it's devastating... oh, how I wish I could have been among those naves on March 18, 2007!