Hi everyone, Bwoomthony Bwoomtano here, the internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this self-titled album from Sunn O))).

Here we have a new record from legendary, game-changing music duo Sunn O))), who are now and have always been spearheaded by Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley. It is their 10th official album, and out of nowhere they have decided to drop it not on their own label, Southern Lord, or some other metal-adjacent music distro. No, this album is dropping via Sub Pop, which – I dunno, does that say something about where the duo currently sees their audience right now, or their future, their legacy? (After all, it should be mentioned Sub Pop is also home to Earth, which makes this album drop a pretty full-circle moment.)

Either way, this thing, again, is a self-titled record that many fans online are categorizing as kind of a back-to-basics release, and in a way a reminder of what this music project is supposed to be about at its core. Massive, suffocating, droning guitars.

And simplifying things is a pretty surprising move, especially after a decade-plus of releases where it kind of seemed like the duo was doing everything they can to breathe new life into their sound, present it from a new angle, be it either through a collaboration or a new way to present their work, whether they were doing stuff with Ulver, Scott Walker. You also had 2019, which was a pretty active year for Sunn O))), where they not only released two records that had production from the great Steve Albini on them.

But one of those two releases was the incredibly dense Life Metal, which in a way had a much brighter sound than a lot of Sunn O))) albums, definitely the most positive vibes to emanate off of one of their records yet.

But despite all of the duo's efforts — and look, some of these efforts I personally have enjoyed — they've yet to drum up anything that has proven to be as versatile or career-defining as, like, 2009's Monoliths and Dimensions. But now, with a big ol' Rothko painting on the front cover, this self-titled album could really not be bothered at all with the idea of reinventing itself. Really, what Sunn O))) is doing here is tripling down on what the band has been doing since, like, The Grimmrobe Demos — really centering things on the guitar, and just simply the guitar. They're even getting punny again with some of the titles on these tracks, like with "Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?" which reminds me of, you know, past track titles like "Grimm and Bear It", which in a way I do think acknowledges the absurdity of the Sunn O))) concept itself, an element of their work that I think was kind of lost as they slowly became a serious force in underground metal, and the dark, mysterious presentation of their live shows and the project itself really started to define it.

But while this self-titled record, I will agree, is a return to form of sorts, it is notably louder, thicker, and crisper, and a tad bit harsher than some of their oldest material. It's pretty much the record they would have dropped back in the day, had they the experience and production know-how to make it the way this self-titled album sounds now, with well over 100 guitar tracks on this whole thing, allegedly.

I think this is also the release the band would have made had they had a clear idea of what Sunn O))) was going to end up being down the road, as the instrumental palettes and mixes on this record are nowhere near as versatile or as noisy and harsh as what you might hear on older releases like Black One, which remains to be my favorite Sunn O))) project, or even White1 and White2, records that I would argue, the heavier, dronier tracks don't sound quite as clear and well-produced as what we have here on this self-titled.

But also, as flawed as those records might seem in retrospect, there were also some unnerving, freaky, dark ambient cuts and noise passages throughout those songs that were really unique and creative, cutting edge for their time, even if maybe they didn't quite pull off those gigantic monolithic walls of "bwoom" that Sunn O))), like, does to perfection now.

And part of that perfection means, like, really maxing out what the guitar can do here, like with the intro of the first track on this record, where the whole beginning sounds like a panoramic chorus of different guitar lead notes kind of singing in a chaotic harmony. Then after this beginning, the first downtuned full riff and chord that comes through hits like an asteroid, and comes laced with this really kind of prickly, high-pitched distortion. It's like a hiss that sounds like the amplifier cabinet or the microphone that's recording this sound is like melting from the volume and the noise and the intensity of it.

And then from there, of course, Sunn O))) slowly settles into what I think you could say is a pretty standard sound for them, eventually reaching a pretty fiery peak toward the end that is a lot more focused on feedback. And again, these mid-range guitar notes and wailing leads that are struck and held onto and stacked really high for gritty effect. It kind of sounds like a few dozen chainsaws all going off in unison, or a really old piece of heavy machinery firing off.

But yeah, all in all, it's a solid start to the record. After this, we have the much shorter "Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?" that I mentioned earlier, the first leg of which contains this almost slow-mo, psych-inspired guitar freakout with lots of stuttering tones and notes that feel like they're slathered in molasses. These lead tones slowly multiply to create some pretty sinister and dissonant intervals. And while the ending is abrupt, the track does get the job done.

Then "Butch's Guns" introduces one of the most novel and surprising ideas on this record: silence. As the first couple of riffs and chords suddenly stop out of nowhere, leaving these huge gaps and rests. And when the guys come back in full volume with those guitars roaring, it's a heart-stopping moment. And honestly, something I wish this piece did more of throughout its runtime, because as immersive as the duo's sound is, sometimes being able to, in a very short moment, appreciate that silence and that space that is there when the guitars disappear — it's a lot. But yeah, as this song progresses, the levels of subterranean bass it displays — and it is really the longest track here too — it's all very heavy, of course, but I was really left wanting more in terms of the dynamics and progression of this piece.

And given all the great experimentation Sunn O))) has done on some of their past records, I'm just confused as to why there wasn't any temptation to vary this up or throw something else into the mix. Ultimately, it just feels like a limit without a purpose.

Then "Mindrolling," surprisingly, is even more devoid of anything novel or interesting. If there are any nuances on this track, they are completely crushed underneath the weight of these massive, mountainous, thunderous guitars and absolutely bricked-out mix. "Everett Moses," I think, stands out a bit more texturally, because some of the guitar layers and crackling distortion come across more aggressive, though this track is definitely not pulling out all the stops in the way the intro did here. But that shot of harsh noise at the very end of the song does kind of sound like the dying cries of an amplifier or speaker cabinet, I don't know.

And "Glory Black," the closing track, really the first teaser to the album, was forecasting, I think, a record that was going to be a bit more patient and potentially experimental, especially with this just very long and spacious piano passage right in the middle of the piece, some speedier riffs at the start, and I would say a pretty standard outro for the duo from there. But no, this lone piano passage that we heard in the lead-up to this album is really this record's biggest surprise and detour.

And while the variation that this piano brings to this record is most definitely appreciated, it's not the best instance or usage of piano throughout the duo's work. Outside of that, it's hard to say anything else other than this album, I think by Sunn O)))'s usual standards, is okay, but it's really nothing new. Or maybe really nothing dynamic or versatile. I can see the statement that it's trying to make is that 'this is what we are at our core,' but is that a definition that I think we really needed at this point?

Because after all these years, while I can understand a, you know, a career-defining and a self-defining album, why a simplification of their sound and not a culmination of all the great ideas they've achieved across their career thus far? Because even just prior to Sunn O)))'s peak of popularity, many of their records contained more variety instrumentally and sonically than what this album is offering.

And while I get maybe the duo's earliest and most simplistic pieces from back in the day could be in need of a little bit of an update sonically — 'cause yeah, the production quality of this record certainly pounds that of Flight of the Behemoth into the ground — but still, I do think the experimental noise-based improvs on that album still hold up pretty well and are a thrill to listen to. Certainly feel more raw and unpredictable than what the duo is doing here. Plus, more recent and classic releases like Black1 still sound great. Monoliths and Dimensions still sounds great. And even live projects like Dømkirke still sound great and, you know, more or less get the idea of this across, but with more ambitious compositions and risks taken.

So, I dunno, this self-titled Sunn O))) record, it's just kinda basic, and it's hard to see what exactly it adds to the duo's canon at this point, which is why I'm feeling maybe about a strong 6 on this one.

Anthony Fantano, Sunn O))), forever.