Band:	Sunn O)))
Album:	Monoliths & Dimensions
Style:	Dark Ambient, Drone doom metal
Release date:	May 18, 2009
Guest review by:	!J.O.O.E.!

01. Aghartha
02. Big Church (Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért)
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)
04. Alice

It's drone, Jim, but not as we know it. One of metal's most theatrical and divisive sonic-generators, Sunn O))), return to greet us with what is often regarded as their most appeasing creation: Monoliths & Dimensions, dragging in tow a veritable armada of guest musicians (apparently nearly three dozen) ranging from classical artists, a drone progenitor (Dylan Carlson no less) and a certain infamous, and slightly demented, voice of black metal persuasion, all contributing to, in varying degrees, what is likely Sunn O)))'s most expansive and diverse vision to date.

For the most part, the familiar down-tuned, sustained chords - of which, through a single stroke, one could probably watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy before seeing its progression - make a welcome return, as brown noise-inducing and perception challenging as ever, but this time serving as but a bed for the avant-garde nuances of instrumentation so typically foreign to the shores of drone. Garnished throughout the first three tracks are generous portions of jazz, brass and strings, affording an almost Elend-like classical quality to the usual, impenetrable dirges, accompanied by a vocal choir led by Jessika Kenney which conflicts in organised dichotomy with Attila Csihar's spoken passages. In fact, there are so many facets that identifying each would be a mammothian task in itself.

The bewildering array of classical elements, while being an undoubted source of its brilliance, also serve to occasionally hinder the overall effect when taken to frequent extremes: the adroit implementation of minimalism too often gives way to what is sometimes an effusive exercise in over-the-top gimmickry; Attila's croaks are too ever-present, and the haphazard splicing of chanting and brass occur far too frequently to give a truly organic and concise arrangement, sometimes to the point where one longs for the more simple constructs of White2. It's all great, but just a bit too much of a good thing; letting the boys breathe a little would have done wonders. With this is mind, the crux of the album is most certainly "Alice" (dedicated to the late Alice Coltrane - a jazz musician and composer), a beautifully considered and stark piece of audio artistry, encapsulating the dark, yet heavenly, ambient sound which Sunn O))) exemplify. Combined with a slowly rising crescendo of horn, trombone and soothing guitar it serves to medicate against the concrete slabs that are the three tracks prior.

Sunn O))) may not be everyone's cup of Earl Grey, but if you're ever going to appreciate them it'll most likely be through Monoliths & Dimensions and while it may not totally please drone purists (if there is such a thing, maybe it's just me) there are moments of a permeating presence and feel of unfettered genius throughout its walls of filmic majesty and muck that run even deeper than the staggering cover art by Richard Serra.