Sunn O)))
Monoliths & Dimensions

And here I am again, talking once more about Sunn O))); with the usual enthusiasm that every one of their releases provokes in me.

Monoliths & Dimensions, the title of this their latest creation, eighth dark seal to be precise, completely eclipses everything that has been done in the past by the so-called drone-doom scene but also by themselves with their previous albums.

M&D is their masterpiece, and I start with that, in fourth gear to avoid inexplicable misunderstandings; it is their highest point, the final seal of an unparalleled evolution in a genre that gives no openings, nor support (the drone, indeed).

Let's then explore the album track by track:

AGHARTHA (17:34): perhaps it is the most properly Sunn track of the entire selection, the track that maintains a tight bond with that past called black one, where relentless guitar drones draw scenarios of infinite and deepest desolation, where around the fifth minute, the voice of the usual Attila enters (can we call him the third official member?), invoking something that should not be said, penetrating as it is, with a quiet but keen tone, almost a poetic declamation on a sound carpet that slowly crumbles, going from the initial impenetrable wall to small hints of screeching violins, screaming violas, crazy trumpets, until it fades away, leaving only the voice to close these first 17 minutes of a noise orgy.

BIG CHURCH (9:43): a female choir arises (its use reminded me a lot of the one used in the famous and splendid atom heart mother by the masters Pink Floyd), instinctive almost liberating, growing with beautiful harmonic and melodic games, until the guitars come to break this state of calm full of anxiety, more drones, roaring and very dark guitars; the choir returns, and it's a spiritual ecstasy hard to explain in words, while underneath, at times Attila, in the background, makes our blood freeze (and it is precisely in this piece that the connection with the previous live experiment Domkirke is felt in all its splendor).

HUNTING & GATHERING (10:02): a disturbance, a hinted guitar riff, that refers to certain black metal (as black one did in its time), until it arises prominently, majestic and powerful, on which Csihar ventures with soft screams and almost Gregorian vocalizations, while everything rises and the majesty reaches its peak with the entrance of the male choir with subsequent insertion of winds that stop time without moving it, splendid is an understatement; and thus, in emotional ups and downs first of stasis, where everything is truly in its place, while anguish is felt tangible.

ALICE (16:21): everything stops, changes skin, while remaining connected to everything else in the album, the atmosphere becomes even darker, emptiness is felt underfoot; winds, strings, guitars, keyboards, hinting at infinite melodies over a sea of icy melancholy; and it is precisely here that the jazz sensation advances forcefully in a form that cannot but refer to certain Coltrane or Davis (and it is O'Malley himself who declares how much these artists influenced the creation of this work and the entire decade-long path of his Sunn). Here inside I also feel much dodecaphonic, in particular something of the harmonic constructions/destrctions alla Stockhausen/Schoenberg, especially where from the middle of the piece onwards the guitars almost completely disappear to make room for all the magnificence of the orchestra employed in this work (the conclusion is beautiful, where a trombone designs the finale on tiptoe), they hardly seem themselves.

And here the journey ends; a meditative and splendid journey, thrilling and perhaps even less oppressive than their entire discography, easier if I may use the term.

They have released their masterpiece as said, and from now on it will be difficult to go back or even to move forward, who knows what they will reserve for us in the future is the question that arises after thoroughly absorbing this dazzling work.

Almost forgot, besides the choirs, female and male and the orchestra, there are several and important special guests: Steve Moore and Dylan Carlson of Earth, Oren Ambarchi, Eyving Kang (already with them at the time of the split with Boris, Altar), Rex Ritter and many others to make it clear how the importance they enjoy this duo is by no means negligible these days.

Obviously not for everyone, arm yourselves with a lot of patience, with Sunn O))) it is truly and fundamentally necessary; happy listening.