Sunn 0))) — 00 Void (Reissue)

Southern Lord Records strike back with another reissue of a classic release; in this case it’s the first album ‘proper’ from US Doom/Drone legends Sunn. Back when this was first released in 2000, Sunn were just making waves with the music press and the public at large as a result of their ‘Grim Robe Demos’ release. Back then the genre as a whole was nowhere near as saturated as it is today, initially Sunn paid homage to the band Earth and their greater use of amplifier feedback and goliath, sloth like riffs, the essence of which was brilliantly captured in the black hole that was their Grim Robe Demos. This album however, was the one which broke Sunn as a serious prospect, aside from their initial ridicule as a bit of a passing fad, ‘00 Void’ made people sit up and pay attention (or ‘lie back and absorb’ in this particular case). 

The presentation of this re-issue is astounding, the double 12” version is a tome unto itself, huge slabs of heavyweight vinyl with full printed inners containing the original artworks and big, thick, textured gatefold sleeve, no expense is spared and for good reason. It also comes in a standard CD jewel case format too.

Already deemed a ‘classic’ of the drone/doom genre and for modern experimental music as a whole, 00 Void threw the doors wide open for literally thousands of other acts to stumble through, incorporating their own unique interpretations and melding with other sub genres entirely, this release is certainly deserving of its accolades.

Starting as they mean to go on, the opening track ‘Richard’ (penned by Stuart Dahlquist, Asva/Burning Witch) lumbers forth, hypnotic and earth-crushingly heavy bass tones, steadily rising and building in intensity, feedback being manipulated ever so slightly and meticulously, ritual like and trance inducing, the slow descent in to the void begins and you can’t help but lose yourself entirely in its vast, empty nothingness. Slowly creeping in from time to time, you will hear various instrumentation colouring the foreground, ever so slightly, adding intricate detail to the oppressive, droning atmosphere. By the time ‘NN O)))’ comes to its final conclusion, it barely seems like the structure laid down in the first few opening chords have moved on at all, but the journey in between was epic in scale, as if changing your initial perception of time itself. Heavy stuff indeed.

The second part of this monumental record kicks off with a Melvin’s cover, albeit one that was never committed to record, only discovered by one Greg Anderson on a live tape from a Melvin’s show recorded in 1985. The power of the riff is at work here, slow, methodical and punishing, some elements hark back to references such as John Cage, a certain undertone of ‘non’ music, heralding more physical, rather than aural pleasure. Things get sped up (as much as Sunn ‘speeds’ up in any sense) for the final track ‘Ra at Dusk’, the main focal point being a more tangibly heavy, marching riff which underpins the vast expanse of sounds that hover around the peripheries, occasionally weaving themselves around the main hook, only to drift off, disappearing from the mind’s eye.

’00 Void’ is a spectacularly solid and ground-breaking release, this should find pride of place in any serious modern music collection…always remember though, Sunn’s famous mantra – ‘Maximum volume yields maximum results’. Take heed!