Review by: Luke Younger
BLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! The prophets of doom, don their “grimm robes” once more, and bring us the unholy brother of last years titanic beast, “White1”. I can’t say I was ever totally blown away by this band until I saw them live. And I’m sure that nearly everyone who has seen them, will tell you that it’s an experience you wont forget in a hurry. At their Underworld gig last year, the venue was vibrating so hard, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets, and all the nails on my fingers and toes were going to fall off!
Anyway, I think “White1” was definatley the first record of theirs to transcend them from a (self proclaimed) “Earth tribute band” to a whole more interesting force altogether. “White2” continues in that fashion, but we do still have a lingering element of Earth-isms in the first track, which is rather amusingly titled “HELL-O)))-WEEN”. However, it’s still enjoyable, but the best is yet to come. Despite it’s ridiculous name, the second track “Bassaliens” is probably the best thing I’ve heard from Sunn O))) in a recorded format yet. Clocking in at just over 23 minutes, it is a piece which is dark and haunting as it is beautiful, like a slightly more melodic Nurse With Wound! The last track “Decay2 (Nihilis Maw)” is like the soundtrack to some hellish dream, and features some gnarly vocals from Mayhem’s Attila Csihar. I would like to listen to this by some deserted Norweigan mountains, on a very cloudy day. Absolutely dark as fuck!
“White2” is definitely the best, most accomplished and certainly darkest Sunn O))) record yet, and almost transcends their live experience! So if you highly enjoy the aural equilvilant of death, then I guess you could do far worse.