drone / post-metal / post-rock
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Man, there so much that I have to do, not only around the house but there is also still a lot of work to be done for a new project. Yet, somehow, this album won't let me. It always seems to drags me back into its immersive soundscapes and torpid tempos. While the music sluggishly drags itself through my tireless speakers, I wonder what to write about it. Prepare for a strange but interesting trip with Sunwølf.
Sunwølf hail from Aberdeen, Scotland. They call themselves a drone metal band, and that is pretty much correct. Yet, there is way more going on, a whole spectrum of influences which gradually reveal themselves. Mono, Cult Of Luna, Isis, Nadja, Om, Master Musicians Of Bukkake... the list goes on and on and I haven't even mentioned the eerie, bleak and almost blackened ambient passages yet.
Opener 'Gilded Heart' carefully presents where Sunwølf stands for: moody soundscapes, steadfast but slow drums and deep drones. It's here where Mono comes to mind, especially with these guitars. Yet, then the vocals appear and the whole thing seems to turn into a post-hardcore or post-metal craze, still slow and doomy but harsher and with a crushing intensity. 'A Rest Mid The Gloaming' is an early highlight, thriving on these awesome post-whatever elements.
On 'Quell' the tempo goes up, a bit, which obviously is a good thing regarding the level of variation, but when 'Haar' starts, goosebumps start to form. Apparently, these Scots found a way to combine Cult Of Luna with doom metal legends Winter. This mid-tempo track is stunning, harsh, intense and somewhat brutal. But don't worry, the droney and repetitive 'Sun Of My Soul' will let you rest for a little while, or smash you into a coma, that's another possibility.
But serious, this is a tremendous album, one which will be enjoyed by drone, post-rock, doom and stoner rock fans alike. I only needed three songs to be convinced but there are four more pearls on this full-length. 'Eve' is a gentle piece of work, soothing and calm. 'Brother' is a drone-doom masterpiece, 'Frontier' nudges towards experimentalism and even dark jazz and closer 'Winterworn' gently awakes you from this hypnotic trance.
Recommended? Essential!
Serge
Sunwølf hail from Aberdeen, Scotland. They call themselves a drone metal band, and that is pretty much correct. Yet, there is way more going on, a whole spectrum of influences which gradually reveal themselves. Mono, Cult Of Luna, Isis, Nadja, Om, Master Musicians Of Bukkake... the list goes on and on and I haven't even mentioned the eerie, bleak and almost blackened ambient passages yet.
Opener 'Gilded Heart' carefully presents where Sunwølf stands for: moody soundscapes, steadfast but slow drums and deep drones. It's here where Mono comes to mind, especially with these guitars. Yet, then the vocals appear and the whole thing seems to turn into a post-hardcore or post-metal craze, still slow and doomy but harsher and with a crushing intensity. 'A Rest Mid The Gloaming' is an early highlight, thriving on these awesome post-whatever elements.
On 'Quell' the tempo goes up, a bit, which obviously is a good thing regarding the level of variation, but when 'Haar' starts, goosebumps start to form. Apparently, these Scots found a way to combine Cult Of Luna with doom metal legends Winter. This mid-tempo track is stunning, harsh, intense and somewhat brutal. But don't worry, the droney and repetitive 'Sun Of My Soul' will let you rest for a little while, or smash you into a coma, that's another possibility.
But serious, this is a tremendous album, one which will be enjoyed by drone, post-rock, doom and stoner rock fans alike. I only needed three songs to be convinced but there are four more pearls on this full-length. 'Eve' is a gentle piece of work, soothing and calm. 'Brother' is a drone-doom masterpiece, 'Frontier' nudges towards experimentalism and even dark jazz and closer 'Winterworn' gently awakes you from this hypnotic trance.
Recommended? Essential!
Serge
