OM

Pilgrimage

MP3
FLAC
WAV

Boomkat Product Review:

Two thirds of drone-metal pioneers Sleep, Chris Hakius and Al Cisneros didn't exactly have to try too hard to get the press write about their latest project Om. With only drums and bass guitar the two proceeded to re-think the drone-metal/stoner rock genre and there couldn't have been a better time to do it, suddenly as if by accident the world had begun to appreciate 20 minutes drones, and while this might be down to Emusic's download policy, it left the door open for Om to take control of the scene. With two albums on their own Holy Mountain label the duo did just that, incorporating spiritual sounds, psychedelic rock and of course classic metal to create a droning symphony that captured the hearts of critics and musos everywhere. Obviously then there's been a fair bit of anticipation in regard to this latest full-length, especially since the duo have moved to the Southern Lord label, who right now seem to be hoovering up the best avant-metallers in the genre. Also worth noting is that 'Pilgrimage' has been recorded by none other than the legendary Steve Albini, the man behind more great albums than you can shake a stick at, so it should come as little surprise that the record sounds quite different from Om's previous output. That isn't to say that 'Pilgrimage' is a departure from their crushing cyclic rock sound, it truly isn't, but they have perfected something they have always been hinting at, and the recording - all raw, loud and clear in true Albini style - is better than it has ever been. The album kicks off with the spiritual almost-raga like title track which twists, turns and weaves its way through its ten minute duration, without so much as a distorted note throughout. This is Om unplugged and catches them on a spiritual high, it's not like they haven't approached this before but rarely has it sounded so convincing, sounding like an open letter to some pagan God or other, countersigned by Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. It might not be the full-on metal onslaught which many Southern Lord listeners may have been pining for, but with this one track they have already laid waste to so many pretenders in the scene and created something which sidesteps any lazy genre classifications. Don't worry though distortion junkies, the second track 'Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead' sees Hakius and Cisneros stomping their vintage distortion pedal switches and going into overdriven stoner rock mode, and rarely has it sounded this convincing. Like Sleater Kinney's similarly Albini-engineered album 'The Woods' we get LOUD and BASS-HEAVY production and Om sound now unlike the sludgy pioneers Earth or even Sabbath, coming across like a hardcore band at the wrong speed or a 70s psychedelic act with balls. This sentiment is carried over into the album's finest track 'Bhima's Theme' which is as heavy a tune as the duo have ever managed - twelve glorious minutes of overdriven bass, thick percussion and wavering psychedelic vocals. This is metal from the oldschool, rock music from a time when it wasn't indebted to hairspray or face paint, and in that it manages to be something not new, but much needed. By the time the record finishes on a reprise of the title track, re-introducing themes from the opener in a typically cyclic manner there's little to do but turn your amp up to eleven and play the whole thing again. Heavy rocks...

MP3 Release (4)