Some were quick to name this album “SUNN O)))’s most accessible release” but we wouldn’t go that far. Despite their unlikely fame and their pop cultural status, the Anderson/O’Malley duo sticks to presenting rather occult, ritualistic, almost inconceivable music that is anything but accessible.

 

In fact, ‘Life Metal’ is thick as Hell, true to the initial SUNN O))) concept and in a way – a very naturally sounding album. All of these are largely due to the band working with the godlike STEVE ALBINI, in whose Electrical Audio facility the band hammered out 2 releases worth of material (‘Pyroclasts’ is expected to drop sometime later this year).

 

And even though the term ‘metal’ appears in the album’s title, it serves as more of a death metal related joke than a true genre definition. What SUNN O))) do best and what they display here is well away from metal standards and much closer to drone, noise and even ambient, with a load of other extreme or experimental music styles closely linked.

 

Still, the beginning is direct nod to an all metal classic. Opening track ‘Between Sleipnir's Breaths’ starts off with a sample off ‘Oden`s Ride Over Nordland’, the album intro of classic BATHORY release ‘Blood Fire Death’. There is a very clear connection between the two tracks – they both refer protoscandinavian god Odin and his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, but all else is different – ultra heavy drone dominates musically, supported by Icelandic cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir’s subtle voice, reciting ancient Aztec poetry. It’s a toughie!

 

And it doesn’t get less complex either. Shortest track here spans for almost 12 minutes, with the longest being 25+, with the ritualistic, very abstract drone making ‘Life Metal’ a very meditative listen as well as one of discovery – every consecutive spin revealing new tones and musical elements we missed before.

 

‘Life Metal’ lacks the lush of the SUNN O))) classic ‘Monoliths & Dimensions’ but it is as much of a straightforward release, as much as it is diverse and rich in sound. Listen closely for Guðnadóttir’s distinctive cello, SILKWORM’s Tim Midgett bass, the historic pipe organ played by Australian composer Anthony Pateras and long time SUNN O))) contributor T.O.S. Nieuwenhuizen delivering Moog and electronics.

 

Patience is obligatory, especially when it comes to the 26-minute stunner ‘Novae’, weaved out of pure heaviness, hypnotic beauty, cello and monstrous reverb – a true drone masterpuiece. 

 

After the largely uninteresting ‘Kannon’ and a bunch of interesting, but never outstanding collabotaions, SUNN O))) struck the right balance between experimentation and tru-to-self straightforwardness that gave them the well needed push forward. We can’t wait to hear ‘Pyroclasts’ as well.