Sunn 0))) - Black One [Southern Lord - 2005]They say you can never judge a book (or album) by its cover, but in the case of Black one you certainly should. It’s a haunting black and white drawing of a mass of tangled branches, that if you look deep enough in you can surely make out other faces and shapes. It illustrates perfectly the inner audio darkness that churns with sinister undercurrents. With Black one,Sunn 0))) merge black metal and a darkly occultic air, with their ultra slow doom. Creating some of their most satisfying work, thus far and making a more consistent album to play out as a whole. The sound here is much more layered and complex than before. Even on almost Text book examples of a Sunn 0))) track like Orthodox Caveman with it’s slow repetitive riff torture. There’s so much depth to the sound and stretching of it. There’s also a haunting almost dark ambient vibe hovering over the top.
Thankful too we have nothing like the My Wall,track off White one here,Which quite frankly I found cringe inducing. The vocal tracks here keep to the atmosphere and don’t have any of the Tongue in cheek tactics of tracks like My wall. Talking of vocals they appear a lot more here, than ever before on a Sunn 0))) album. On four of the seven tracks in all, adding more to the sonic tarry stew. All in various forms of Black metal croaks .
Highlights are difficult to choose, as all of the tracks are of such high quality. But if I was pushed I’d say; CandleGoat ,which opens with a great ultra grim black metal riff then slow slides to almost a stand still, as the bass slops in. Slowly you are almost suffocated by the pure weight of the track with eerier electronics that make their way to the black surface of riffling. Or the last track Báthory Erzsébet with chilling echoed bell tone and almost sinister dub feel for the first half of the track.It brings to mind watching a hushed ritual in a moon lit forest clearing, gowned figures reciting, words that seem to be spoken backwards. Then the guitars and bass slice in with eerier death rattle vocals making for a last macabre pounding. The other thing the album clever does is build atmosphere and makes you almost jump too. The ways the tracks are sequenced are quite abrupt in sound change. So you will have be laid into an almost sinister stupor then be whacked over the head with a cold sounding guitar riff. With out a shadow doubt,the best thing Sunn 0))) have done and one of this years highlights.   Roger Batty
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