Band:	Sunn O)))
Album:	Pyroclasts
Style:	Dark Ambient, Drone doom metal
Release date:	October 25, 2019
A review by:	RaduP

01. Frost
02. Kingdoms
03. Ampliphædies
04. Ascension

What a better way for Sunn O))) to end a pretty uneven decade for them than with two records.

The 2010s have really been quite hit or miss for Sunn O))), which is strange for a band whose albums most people think sound the same. A lot of collaborations, an album that wasn't actually even entirely new material, definitely nothing that could compare to their 2000s run. And then they announced Life Metal. And then if that wasn't enough, they announced Pyroclasts as well.

You've probably already read my review of Life Metal, but if you haven't, you should. Because Pyroclasts is closely tied to Life Metal, in that it came to life through the "jam" sessions that came before and after the recording sessions for Life Metal. So coming from the same recording sessions, you'll find mostly the same folks around the power duo: Steve Albini is still producing and mixing the thing, Tos Nieuwenhuizen is still bringing the moog, and Hildur Guðnadóttir, who has since done scores for both HBO's Chernobyl and DC's Joker, is still at the helm of the cellos and halldorophone, though no vocals this time around.

WIth Pyroclasts being both a lot shorter than Life Metal and being what could feel like outtakes from it, it wouldn't be unexpected for it to feel like just some extras that aren't as high standard as the album proper, but that's surprisingly and thankfully not the case. A somewhat more digestible album due to its length and more meditative due to its modal drones that sit somewhere between compositions and impovisations, making it both a great companion to Life Metal, as well as great enough as a standalone. Though not that far off from its predecessor, there is some great synergy between the two in the way they both approach this droning sound with slightly different touches, making this duo of albums to definitely be the lightest and most life-affirming of their works. And with it being dedicated to former collaborator, Scott Walker, there is a bigger emphasis on the emotion that this meditative and life-affirming experience gives.

Immersive without end, that's how a Sunn O))) record should feel. And it sure feels good that they feel more like dreams than nightmares this time around. Or rather meditative ascension than actual dreams. As long as you play it loud enough.