æthenor - deep in ocean sunk the lamp of light

.:: Æthenor Deep in Ocean Sunk the Lamp of Light LP/CD
Debut by trio of Stephen O’Malley (Sunn0))))), Daniel O’Sullivan (Guapo), and Vincent de Roguin (Shora). Taking its title from The Iliad, the music here is deep and cosmic, completely unlike anything you’d expect from such heavyweights. More in the tradition of ‘Spiral Insana” and “Cyborg” than anything, the tracks float along in a masterful collage of activity, where careful scene changes highlight O’Sullivan’s classic but artfully placed Rhodes bombs, de Roguin’s organ, and O’Malley’s guitar.

Extraordinary effort has gone into editing, mastering, and shaping these pieces – these are not tossed off improvisations or “side-project” orphans. Housed in CD and LP jackets hand-printed by Alan Sherry/SIWA.

Earlier this year we all fell in love with the absolutely killer (but sadly ridiculously limited) 'Twisted Stems' 7" from moody Londoners Guapo, and now we have the perfect accompaniment. Aethenor is the project of Daniel O'Sullivan (of Guapo), the prolific and omnipresent Stephen O'Malley (Sunn o))), Khanate, KTL) and Vincent De Roguin and between them they have managed to lay down some of the most earth shatteringly atmospheric and cinematic soundscapes this side of Earth's incredible 'Hex' album.

The reason we all got so misty-eyed over 'Twisted Stems' was its reliance on that Badalamenti sound we all know and love, but this album takes that sound one step further in a soup of Rhodes and clattering celluloid sounds, transporting the listener into darkened alcohol drenched saloons and cold, lonely desert landscapes effortlessly. Although doom-metal's grand magus Stephen O'Malley is hard at work here again, don't be expecting a treatise in drone - Aethenor have come up with something far more atmospheric and far less genre specific than you ever would have thought.

The droning guitar is submerged somewhere in the mix below thick electric piano and decomposing field recordings, between clattering pots and pans and the sound of creaking wood. You can almost hear the chattering ghosts of cowboys, whores and sheriffs in the distance somewhere, hidden under crackling vinyl and a small boy collecting glasses behind the door.

This is intense and deeply visual music, bringing to mind so many images you don't even need track titles to give you any clues - in fact a visual accompaniment would do the album an injustice; it gives you everything you need simply from the sound. Those of you left gasping for more after Deaf Center's 'Pale Ravine' and Svarte Greiner's 'Knive' should look no further - this is how it is done, and it doesn't really get much better than this.

download: æthenor - deep in ocean sunk the lamp of light


pass: indie-ground.blogspot.com