Thursday, December 12, 2019

Album Review: Sunn 0))) - Pyroclasts

Sunn 0)))
Pyroclasts
** out of *****

The two piece drone demons Sunn 0))) second album of 2019, Pyroclasts is a (slightly) different rumbling beast from it's predecessor Life Metal. While recorded at the same sessions with the same guests and producer, Pyroclasts is more meditative in its sonic screeches and droning feedback, and in the end less engaging.

The twin rumble bums Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley enlisted help from T.O.S. Nieuwenhuizen (Moog Rogue) Hildur Guðnadóttir (Electric Cello, Halldorophone) Tim Midyett (Electric Baritone Guitar) and were recorded my Steve Albini for Life Metal. At the end of those sessions they tried a twelve minute timed modal drone improvisation as musical meditation with the stated goal to "To connect/reconnect, liberate the creative mind a bit and greet each other and the space through the practice of sound immersion."

Four of those experiments are presented here, just under twelve minutes each, and each stays on one note playing with the octaves and very minimal variations. "FROST (C)" hums and buzzes to pen things with a twelve minute constant wall of sound while "KINGDOM (G)" starts more subtle with open space before instrumentation and white noise increases slowly over it's run time.

"AMPLIPHÆDIES (E)" is the most interesting tune here with scratches and angular blips and feedback cutting in and out over it's time while "ASCENSION (A)" ebbs and flows the most but also is the most off putting with high pitched wails. 

As mentioned with every Sunn0))) review we write, this isn't for everyone, and the droning can be both meditative and off putting. If you are new to the band, Pyroclasts wouldn't be a recommended place to start with the band as there is little movement from start to finish.
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