Sunn O))) & Ulver – Terrestrials

February 4, 2014 • Southern Lord Records

Sunn O))) and Ulver. One of my long-time dream collaborations. Technically they've recorded together before, for a bonus track on White1, but that hardly counts. So I've been looking forward to this album eagerly ever since I heard about it—after all, Sunn O)))'s recent material has been pretty spectacular, and Ulver's latest was amazing as well. It's not really that surprising that this collaboration turned out pretty good. Not fantastic, but pretty good.

What we get on Terrestrials is some kind of sprawling ambient drone, that somehow seems to perfectly encapsulate both band's styles and go well beyond what they normally do. "Let There Be Light" feels like an extension of Monoliths & Dimensions's "Alice": huge guitar drones, a triumphant brass section, and some skittery but cohesive drumming that glues them together. "Western Horn" is a bit more traditional Sunn O))), with guitar drones and some weird buzzing noisy bits (wait—maybe that's violin? I can't tell); a very weird track. "Eternal Return" has a bit of Garm's vocals on it, which is really cool to hear, as they go well with the more soothing and melodic tone of the track. Great strings and xylophone (or whatever it is... I really should be able to tell) on this one; definitely more of an Ulver vibe towards the end.

Unfortunately, it still falls a bit flat of my lofty expectations. It's a bit short at just 36 minutes (this is Sunn O))) we're talking about here, "drone" and "short" don't mix) and the tracks don't really feel like they really get anywhere. Granted, as I mentioned, the instrumentation and aesthetics are both well-done, but drone can be a bit more interesting and engaging than this.

Though that might have to do with the fact that this album was apparently recorded in a single improvisation session. Usually I hate it when bands do that, but I guess there is an exception for drone and ambient because it usually winds up at least half-decent anyway. You can't really tell that it's improvised. I'll still take the composed stuff first, thanks.

Sure, it's not quite as expansive and enveloping as either Monoliths & Dimensions or Messe I.X–VI.X, but I definitely still enjoy this album quite a bit. It's a collaboration that certainly works and has a lot of promise, and I'd very much like to hear them tackle something with a bit more purpose and effort. Even so, this is definitely not one to be missed by fans of either band.