The Rock Blogger

Ascend . Ample Fire Within . 2008. Southern Lord . 3.5 stars .

Gritty, plodding drone metal from Greg Anderson (Sunn) and Gentry Densley (Iceburn). Experimental and expansive, Ample Fire Within features the powerful, drawn out riffs that made early Earth and Sunn O))) records so compelling, and adds psychedelic elements to take the sound to new directions. The use of loose percussion, synth touches, brass and Eastern instruments gives Ascend a transcendental quality without becoming too detached from the swelling doom rhythm at its core.

As is expected from a Southern Lord release, Ascend’s debut is uncompromising and inventive despite its flaws. What detracts from the experience are the gravelly, Tom Waits inspired vocals that dominate "Divine", shredding an otherwise free-from composition with a forced and distracting performance. While this misguided effort only permeates on one track, there are only 5 songs here, so it pulls you away from the album’s impressive cohesion.

The following "Vog" and "Dark Matter" are stunning recoveries however, as they strike a successful balance between thick, sludgy metal and a more mitigated vocal delivery. The closing "Dark Matter" in particular demonstrates the potential this genre has for meditative and hypnotic experiences, as the duo take time and care in crafting an absorbing journey, winding and contracting across dark astral planes. With stellar, patient musicianship and meticulous attention to detail, Ascend reveals itself as a noble experiment that overcomes some missteps to take its place among metal’s more heady brood. If you’ve liked anything from Southern Lord (Sunn O))), Sleep, OM, Boris, etc), you’ll probably appreciate this.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 9:11 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.