Sunn O))) & Ulver – Terrestrials
Dinesh Raghavendra reviews the collaborative album by Sunn O))) & Ulver titled Terrestials, released via Southern Lord Recordings.
Cover: A portrait of our sun, captured in the wavelength of hydrogen alpha light.
Sunn O))) and Ulver have both been around for a long, long time and both of them have been mainstays in their respective styles and while I enjoy listening to both, this collaboration was a welcome break from the usual. The bands met in 2008 when Sunn o))) was performing in Oslo and a jam session later we have this three-track compilation which shows that the sum is greater than the parts.
The album is quite a departure for both bands. Sunn o))) was traditionally a drone doom monster and Ulver were black metal mainstays for quite a long time. The collaboration creates a sound that’s very different from everything that came before. We have slower riffs, a lighter atmosphere and an overall upbeat tempo. Surprisingly both bands don’t try to stretch and twist in different directions and the music falls into place neatly.
The opener goes on for a full 11 minutes and is called “Let there be light” which has guitars, trumpets, violin trills and a drum roll. The bass plunges and the leads to “Western Horn”, the shortest piece on this album. The track is very sinister with a wild riff that goes on and on and then we have the 14 minute closer “Eternal Return” which has distended guitars and violin screeching and bellowing in the harsh soundscape.
Sunn O))) and Ulver have worked on “CUTWOODeD” before, which was way more darker and menacing than “Terrestrials”. The drones and ambient noise on that album were a different beast altogether. This one is a milder version and worth a listen.
