CD REVIEW: KANNON by Sunn O)))

(Southern Lord Records)

PREPARE yourselves for a little over half an hour of mind-crunching sonic attack as doom metal masters Sunn O))) drop their latest offering onto the world like an enormously heavy block of concrete onto an egg.

Your senses will certainly be squashed and mashed by the three tracks on this opus which offers something of a move back to basics for the guys who don’t just like to rock a room but rather demolish it completely.

Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson play their guitars slow and deadly across the three tracks with plenty of feedback and sonic growls and doom-laden riffs.

As on previous efforts, the vocal talents of Attila Csihar add a suitably mournful air, this time with him sounding something akin to a mad clergyman delivering a demonic message.

It’s good to see that Sunn O))) are on form and continuing to plough their very individual furrow through the world of heavy metal. They have a loyal following, boosted by their recent superb collaboration with Scott Walker (now that was an album and a half!).

Play Kannon – or any Sunn O))) album for that matter – at home and ornaments will start to reverberate. Play it loud in the car and the vehicle shudders. I’ve scientifically tested both these assertions. This is a band where the performance isn’t just about the music itself, it’s about the effect of the noise and the feel of the power. Heavy metal in extremis!

The band’s motto is “Maximum volume yields maximum results”. You have been warned.

And, in case you wondered, Kannon is the Buddhist goddess of mercy.

ANTONY CLAY