The Rock Blogger

Conifer . Crown Fire . 2008. 3.5 stars .

Confier play psychedelic sludge metal in the same vein as Pelican and The Russian Circles, pushing heavy, wiry instrumentals to stratospheric heights. Making Crown Fire stand out, aside from its stellar musicianship, is its organic flow and Eastern-tinged flourishes. Its spiraling riffs and cyclical percussion roll on hypnotically, creating a immersing, stoner-friendly torrent of sound. Its more expansive pieces are set beside dense jams like "Song for Krom" which blends deep bass attacks a la Kyuss with celestial release.

There’s really nothing wrong with this record - its focused, intense, well produced and a fine thing to trip out to. Conifer do however sound very similar to their many rivals in the the sludge/doom metal genre, making their natural and fluid sound seem more constrained than it should. There are some attempts at experimentation, including some spacey post-rock noodling ("History of Disappointment") and even some oddball vocals towards the end of the record, but these brief moments seem somewhat forced compared to their more refined and confident performances.

While Crown Fire may not be breaking any new ground (I know, its an unreasonable expectation for this young band), its still a great piece of work that matches the tremendous energy of Isis, Pelican, Cult of Luna or whoever else is leading the post-metal pack these days. If you are already immersed in this exploding underground scene, then you should certainty check out Conifer. They are, as their name implies, one of the most organic sounding metal bands around.

Confier LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE, MA 7/17/05

Sunn O))). Dømkirke. 2008. 4 stars.

Along with close contemporaries Earth and Boris, Sunn O))) have become flag bearers for the doom-metal avant-garde, pushing the genre to new experimental boundaries with each full-length album. While they may have just lovingly mimicked Earth’s early drones with their first set of releases, Sunn O))) quickly evolved into a innovative force of their own right, pushing out heady, slow-as-molasses jams of impenetrable darkness. The chilling spoken word intro of White 1 or the pseudo-black metal wraiths on Black One demonstrated the cloaked duo’s capacity for creating exciting and terrifying masterpieces that were as unique as they were heavy.

Dømkirke carries on with the proud tradition, bringing the distinguished drone masters and their special guests to an ancient Danish cathedral where their compositions could be given a full atmospheric treatment. From what I understand, this was recorded live, giving the album raw power and urgency - a strange word to use given the band’s snail-like pace. The majority of this album moves away from the groaning and drawn-out riffs of the past, opting instead for dense, dark ambient pieces. That being said, the album is still bass-laden and unbelievably heavy, its just more focused on atmospheric drones rather than lumbering guitar work. Vocal contributions from black metal artist Attila Csihar are spine-chilling, as his dark, operatic chants echo like the rites of some ritualistic cult-figure. The later half of the album has him more restrained, offering distant and indistinguishable shrieks and rasps to hover over the searing drones.

Dømkirke may not sound as direct or metal as 2005’s Black One, but the thick graveyard atmosphere and dense production remains fully intact. The inclusion of monk vocals and the chosen recording space also lend Sunn O))) even more gravity to pull you down into their murky pits. As a band willing to take risks with their already unconventional and disturbing sound, Sunn O))) have once again shown their intense mystique and musical craftsmanship.

I saw an image similar to this in a book on architecture.

The level of the detail in the carvings and statues is breathtaking.

Tales of deities, angels, and warriors wind across the entire face of the temple.

It’s a shame they don’t make things like this in Windsor.

(not sure if this is the right cover, but it’s what’s showing on RateYourMusic now).

Deerhunter. Microcastle. 2008. 4.5 stars.

Deerhunter’s much anticipated followup to last year’s breakthrough Cryptograms is a dreamy shoegaze record full of trippy melodies and crystal-clear ambiance. The majority of the songs on Microcastle are far more focused than those on their predecessor, with a more streamlined, psych-pop structure that delivers quick bursts of shimmering energy. Beautiful numbers like “Never Stops” wash over you with their cool, hazy atmosphere, sending off druggy, blissful vibes not unlike My Bloody Valentine. The expansive production also lets psychedelic songs like “Little Kids” breathe with full vigor, spreading out into a sea of mellowing reverb.

While Deerhunter may be more focused and refined this time around, the album isn’t called Microcastle for nothing. There are several labyrinthine tracks that lure you into densely layered passages, immersing you in ambient detail. Songs like “Green Jacket” are mysterious, ghostly and gorgeous despite their general lack of direction. They lie in the middle of the album like dark pools of water, a comfort zone for the sleepy astral traveler.

Microcastle, as I have hoped to indicate above, is a richly textured album that moves between tight, wiry alternative rock (”Nothing Ever Happened”) and lush experimentation with ease. The divergence between moods and tones can often be challenging, as you’re not sure whether to fall asleep to this album, or have it blaring along to reckless hedonism. There is no doubt in my mind that Microcastle will be named as one of 2008’s greatest albums, even though segments of it are somewhat ’samey’ and indistinguishable from each other. Taken as evidence of Deerhunter’s speedy evolution, or as a colorful shoegaze album, Microcastle is a fresh, exciting and seductive listen.

“Nothing Ever Happened” Live

Sighting by Sorina Dragusanu

By Damien Van Vroenhoven 2007