Album Review: Sunn O))), Sunn O)))

Experimental metal crew Sunn O))) here return from the actual wilderness to serve up another salvo of uneasy listening. Inspired by the leafy, woody surroundings near the Washington studio they recorded in, the album is perhaps best described as a record the Blair Witch would play when she wasn’t offing hikers.

The cloak-clad lads’ first LP not to feature any guest musicians, Sunn O))) is an abstract and unfiltered assault on the senses, full of field recordings, horror movie guitar howls and buzzing string bends.

Featuring six mammoth instrumentals, the opus is perhaps best digested as one complete, labyrinthine piece of music.

In something of a two-fingered salute to the TikTok generation, the two-piece have crafted an album that could soundtrack a tumble into the abyss. ‘Everett Moses’ is a stand-out, dipping a cloven hoof into the realm of doom metal, while the sludge-driven funeral march, ‘Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?’, also impresses.

One of those records that rewards repeated spins, the curious will no doubt be confused by its oddness - but the diehards will devour it.

7/10