Few albums in the past few years could have generated the hype that has surrounded Terrestrials (Southern Lord). When a pairing with such pedigree as drone lords Sunn O))) and Norwegian experimental band Ulver come together to create a collaboration it’s hard not to expect an album of monolithic proportions. While this would often leave albums buckling under overbearing expectations, Terrestrials transcends the hype. This is not just the amalgamation of the two different ideas and artists but a story told through a melding of brilliant minds. Sunn O)))’s dark chasmic wall of noise is given new life by Ulver’s more poignant atmospheric flourishes that together lead the listener through a vast and dark soundscape.
Coming in at just three songs and thirty-six minutes long, there is no space for waste on this album, every lingering note is considered, every flutter from a trumpet or tremolo string section precisely placed. Each song explores different elements; ‘Let there be Light’ gently builds to devastating crescendo that runs down the spine, while ‘Western Horn’ opens out the low end with horns to enact ancient rites and resurfaces old gods. It is ‘Eternal Return’ though that is the real masterpiece in Terrestrials, scaling both the icy heights with shimmers that scatter over cavernous bass in a way that echoes rises and falls the Earth itself. The album unfolds slowly, lazy notes that enclose worlds of sound that can only be excavated through endless listening. This is not the simple mantra of catchy music laying out their wares on the first listen, but an investment that rewards the listener with every replay.
10/10
Caitlin Smith