Sunn O))) - Monoliths & Dimensions

Rating: * * * *

Verdict: Drone duo spice up doom with powerful classical influence.

Sunn O))) - simply pronounced "sun" - have as much in common with metal bands Entombed and Neurosis as they do with dark and intense classical composers like Mahler and Stravinsky.

And seventh album Monoliths & Dimensions takes this classical influence further than they ever have in their mostly drone metal past by using instruments such as oboes, French horns, and harp.

The Seattle duo of guitarist Stephen O'Malley and bassist Greg Anderson make music with forboding layers and slabs of texture, taking in everything from glacial guitar drones and rumbling bass feedback to regal trombones and sinister strings.

The four-track, 53-minute long Monoliths is a typically doomed sounding album yet it's intriguing, with vast open plains of sound. The shrill chorale singing at the begining of Big Church leaves you unsure whether it's torturous or stunning, then, when the down-tuned distorted guitar chimes in, there is no doubt this is beautifully punishing stuff. A guttural, grouchy ogre voice decorates the abrasive riffs of Hunting and Gathering (Cydonia), and Alice, the

16-minute static finale, unfolds like the Strauss theme to 2001 with brittle distortion and an unnerving orchestral mix.

If you like extreme, weird, and ultimately beautiful music then this could be your album of the year.

Scott Kara