White1

1. My Wall

2. Gates of Ballard

3. Shaving of the Horn That Speared You

Tracks:

My Wall - featuring Julian Cope
The Gates of Ballard
A Shaving of the Horn that Speared You

Album Description

Fourth album from this eclectic "supergroup" featuring Stephen O'Malley (ex-Buring Witch, current Lotus Eaters and Khanate member) and Greg Anderson (Goatsnake) with special guests: Joe Preston (ex-Melvins, ex-Thrones and current member of the Whip), Runhild Gammelsaeter (Thorr's Hammer vocalist), Rex Ritter (ex-Jessamine and currently of Fontanelle) and Julian Cope (ex-Teardrop Explodes).

Customer Reviews:

Musical Oblivion.......2006-05-11

If there was a hell for the spirits of heavy metal, Sunn O))) are the soundtrack to it. Doom, drone, sludge - call it what you will; I like to think of Sunn O))) as "post-metal," the dark equivalent of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Ros. Take away all traditional (and even "untraditional") elements of melody and standard songwriting from a doom band like Black Sabbath, take away the vocals, take away the drums, and what do you have? Well, if you're not sure, then you're a bit closer to knowing what Sunn O))) sound like.

My introduction to Sunn O))) was through their fantastic BLACK ONE, a dark and twisted soundscape of nightmares-made-music. It took me a while to hunt down another album, and what I got was this. White1 is a very different beast than BLACK, and while only marginally "lighter" in terms of overall mood, it carries you into that same world of oblivion which Sunn O))) rule.

I normally don't review albums song-by-song, but since there are only three on this album...

1 - "My Wall" (25:30)
Basically the first half of this song is a long and bizarre poem being recited by Julian Cope (!), with Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley doing their "guitar riffs of doom" thing in the background. Then things get interesting, as the music comes forth with its full onslaught of long, trailing, doomish riffs and powerful use of volume and reverb which Sunn O))) are famous for.

2 - "The Gates of Ballard" (17:22)
It starts with faint riffs in the background while guest Runhild Gammelsaeter (of Thorr's Hammer fame) quotes a traditional Norse folk song, "Havard Hedde." The track then switches to a more easily-digestible series of changing tempos and rhythms, powered by Greg Anderson's chugging guitar riffs over drum machine beats, often breaking down into long, ambient moments of riffs and muddy reverb. The "bridge" of the song is a memorable drone of slowly-increasing volume, making for a fairly spacey (and somewhat creepy) climax before leveling out into the main riff/beat cycle again.

3 - "A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You" (15:36)
Fade-in, fade-out. That's the majority of this track, with croaking notes and some creepy, ambient sound effects adding to the mix. Occasionally there are twangs and gongs, almost like bizarre church bells, often accompanied by absolutely eerie breaths and sighs (is it even human??). This is probably the creepiest track on this album.

There isn't a whole lot more that can be said about this, or any other album by Sunn O))). Theirs is music for feeling, not thought.

And by the way, for those not in the know, the band's name is pronounced as "sun." The "O)))" is just a part of their logo, which is itself the very logo of the amplifier company of the same name.
---
"...stand in the thrall, stand in the thrall, stand in the thrall of my wall!"

(((Sound))).......2005-02-22

Sunn 0))) are underground. Alot lot of people haven't heard of them. Which is good, because it makes them even more special to those who do know them. But bad in the way that they deserve attention, because they are doing something different from the rest. I guess, from the interviews i've read of the band, that they really don't care if anyone knows them, or even likes them. The only thing that motivates them to play, is playing. And that's whats great about it. They follow no "popular trends" at all.

My only complaint on this album is the first track My Wall, featuring Julian Cope. Pretty much only because of the spoken words during the whole song. It makes it hard to listen to, for me at least. Other than that, it's yet another good song by Sunn 0))). The second track The Gates of Ballard, is possibly my favourite Sunn 0))) song ever. I listened to it up loud, in the dark with the lights off, when i first heard it. It's like a mix of The Exorcist and the band Eyehategod. It's brutal. And it would be so fun to play for them.

If you are prepared to sit through 15-25 minute songs full of vibrating riffs that sometimes are barely audible..This is definitely for you. I recommend this to really anyone wanting something different. I'm not sure how to explain what genre this would fit into..maybe no genre. It would fit into the Noise genre at least. Noise/Minimal/Ambient..I'm not sure. It's all of those things and more though. Definitely recommended for those wanting something different, something unique.

My first Sunn O))) experience.......2004-05-28

This is the first CD I've bought from this band I've heard SO much about, and I just had to give them a whirl. The advisement on the traycard that "maximum volume yields maximum results" is absolutely true. Seeing Sunn O)))'s name thrown around by countless acts or even just popping up on clothing sported by said acts (including locals Buried at Sea), I pretty much knew what I was in for. Well, to review this here CD particularly, I didn't care much for the opening spoken word part, but after that's over, the second half of the opening track is HEAVY and SLOW (two things I happen to like). I dug the second track a lot with its odd sound. The last cut, taking minimalism to a whole new art form, was completely crushing in the way that only a lack of music can convey. Coming from the more metal-leaning slow, heavy acts (Sleep, Corrupted, Buried at Sea, etc.) this was a little more esoteric, but I loved it the whole way through.

How much low end can you take?

In light of the last Sunn0))) album, disappointing..........2004-04-13

As minimal as the last Sunn0))) disc was, it spent a ton of time in my CD player for at least several months. The album's production was absolutely top-notch for this brand of music, especially in comparison to Earth's seminal Earth 2 album and earlier Sunn0))) outtings like 00 Void and The Grim Robe Demos.

White 1 strays a bit from the typical Sunn0))) approach, which is totally respectable in light of how limited a style of music power drone can tend to be, but simply isn't as powerful as Flight of the Behemoth. The production is a bit flat, particularly on the opening track, which features a questionable spoken word track above the gloom and doom.

I can't say any of the tracks really grab me as did the tracks on Flight of the Behemoth, though I did enjoy the minimalist silence of A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You. Still, it is a respectable outting that takes a different approach to an old style.

i suppose it's around 3.5-4 stars.......2004-02-17

the album definately helps in aiding meditation, relaxation, and other forms of mellowing out and is also a nice thing to have on while you finish your daily rounds around the household. it's effective in it's trance-inducing abilities, though the vocals on this album don't always rub me the right way. julian cope has a nice voice, his poetry is ok depending on whether or not i'm in the mood to hear him ramble. sometimes i think it would work better if his 'vocals' were on a separate track from the droning chords and frequencies that accompany his words on 'my wall'. the female vocals on the album are a little strange. i haven't taken to them quite yet, but they're good at breaking up the pieces. i'm not sorry i purchased this album, i'll probably be spinning it for some time.

edit: it's rather funny how when i've given an album time to sink in, it's quirks become endearing. so what can i say, i like i a lot.

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