Review Summary: (((UUUUuuuuuuummmMMMmmmmnnnnnnaaah)))
“Kannon” is possibly the most symbolic album that Sunn O))) have created and are clearly dragging themselves away from the infinite layers of abstract soundscapes and into more emblematic territories. The literal meaning of “Kannon” is the East Asian deity of mercy; a feature of Buddha if you will. Kannon is the Japanese pronunciation of Guanyin, which is short for Guanshiyin Bodhisattva which means ‘Perceiving the sounds (or cries) of the world’. Here, Sunn O))) capture the portrayal of Kannon as a figurative medium to illustrate the sounds of the world within their own instrumentation.
‘Kannon I’ begins in an expectedly lethargic manner. Once again, there are the usual strained guitars that weave patterns of passiveness and directionless gloom and also Atilla Csihar creaking groans that add another dimension to the cavernous soundscapes. However the captivating feature of this first journey is the intensity that Sunn O))) emit. On their previous album ‘Monoliths & Dimensions’ they dragged along at an painful pace and they do the same here but the chord changes and measured strums are far more frequent than before. So while Atilla snarls over the top of the astrophysical drone you notice that the tempos of the chords are becoming increasingly apprehensive by this new accelerated pace.
Sunn O)))’s music style seems incredibly watery. Not in a weak way, far from, but more as the amorphous, meandering and mellifluous mannerisms of water. The guitars in ‘Kannon II’ seem to sail across desolate soundscapes more effortlessly than the other 2 segments of this voyage. They’ve kept the quicker pace and some parts of the guitar work could even be classed as riffs rather than dynamic changes in chord play. The shimmering harmonics above the elephantine beast of bass signal the arrival of some devout singing. The repetitive commands from Atilla awaken something within the realm of their music as deep rumbles roll forth after each chant. Finally, the beast resides that leave nothing but a barren feedback of bass. Nothing breaks the sound; leaving a feeling of looming danger.
Drone metal gains a nocturne characteristic due to the demand for total sonic and physical immersion. ‘Kannon III’ embodies this feeling with grandiose effect. During the first few seconds it sounds very merciful and beautiful however an agonising chord draws any beauty from this facade of beauty and replaces it with a cold embrace of horror. Gradually, Atilla’s voice becomes progressively more centralised as if he is rising from the darkness and confronting you face to face. Here, he shifts from docile drone to rasping howls that sound utterly tortuous amongst such a slothful tone. The spikes in Greg’s guitar fade towards the finale of the song like an infinite exhale of anxiety while your third eye closes once more.
The ethereal being that is Sunn O))) has flourished over the past 10 years and manifested itself into a larger-than-life organism that evolves over each album or during any emotionally paralytic live performances. Standing at just 33 minutes, it contains dramatically less content than its predecessor and yet strangely is still another stage in their evolution where 3 separate songs, absorbed wholly, form in a triadic communion of drone majesty.
