Description

Black vinyl with thick gatefold cover

Sunn O)))s 2015 album, Kannon, consists of three pieces of a triadic whole: Kannon 1, 2 and 3. The album celebrates many Sunn O))) traditions; It was recorded and mixed by close colleague and co-producer Randall Dunn in Seattle and it icludes performances by long term allies and collaborators Attila Csihar, Oren Ambarchi, Rex Ritter, and Steve Moore, to name a few. At the core, the composition centres around the dynamic and intense guitar and bass interplay of Sunn O)))’s founders: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson. It is possibly the most figurative album the band has created, which is unusual as they usually dwell in layers of abstraction and subjectivity. On the other hand, the album is the most outright metal in years, drawing personal associations and memories of cherished albums like Panzerfaust and Twilight Of The Gods again to the forefront of consciousness. Kannon is also very close to the cyclical character of mantra which the band has evolved into as a living creature, the enormity of intense sensate detail and manifestation of the live in concert element of Sunn O))), the organism that has flourished, metamorphosed and transcended tremendously over the past ten years. The literal representation of Kannon is as an aspect of Buddha: specifically goddess of mercy or Perceiving the Sounds (or Cries) of the World. She is also sometimes commonly known as the Guanyin Bodhisattva amongst a plurality of other forms. There is a rich lineage behind this idea tracing back through many Asian belief systems, with as many names and cultural personifications of the idea. Sunn O))) commissioned critical theorist Aliza Shvartz to write text and liner notes around these ideas and topics. She also explores the relations and perceptions to their approach to these ideas via the metonym of music and Sunn O)))’s place/approach within the framework of music and metal overall. For you who havent heard Sunn O))) and have a morbid curiosity should check it out. Their music always felt like the beginning of some doom metal song stretched out for 10 minutes, then nothing. Droning feedback, sub-level riffs quiver and quake under the weight of ample fuzz and d-tuned strings, and faint hissed whispers for vocals make their way out of the muck and mire of their songs. They seem adamant about what they do. There doesn’t seem to be any hesitation in the delivery, so I think they’re quite good at creating these dark passages of music. The lack of drums and any real discernible rhythm creates a wooziness whey you listen. Without drums pushing the song along the guitars create almost this sea of black we begin floating in. Stranded in this droning, doom-filled body of water our small vessel nearly capsizes as wave after wave of volume and squealing swells of noise crash on the bow. There is never a horizon with Sunn O))), just impenetrable blackness. That’s really all you need to know about Kannon. It’s not for everybody, but it might just be for you. If you’re at all familiar with Sunn O))) then you know what to expect. I will say this, Kannon 3 has almost an upbeat feel in the drone-y delivery of the hellish squalls and shrieks. It has more of a sea chantey vibe, had a pirate ship been sucked into a wormhole and shot out into an alternate universe in slow motion. But overall, it seems to be business as usual. Which, I think overall is a good thing. There’s certain bands you don’t want to change all that much. You want them to retain those things that made them special and unique, whether it be ear-shattering volume, breakneck speed, chanting, or sludge-y, soupy riffs played at the speed of blood-tinged molasses dripping down a white canvas. Oh, and cloaks. Don’t forget the cloaks.

Track listing:
1. Kannon 1
2. Kannon 2
3. Kannon 3