Sunn O)))

SunnO))) humbly took up their droning doom metal sword from the creator himself – Dylan Carlson of Earth – but since those late '90s beginnings, they've done nothing but redefine and set a high standard for this growing genre. For both sunnO))) fans and those casually curious about this bass-heavy, molasses-slow sound, Black One is a godsend of devil's spawn that will undoubtedly impregnate countless impressionable minds with its relentless originality. Not only is Black One a flawless album of next-level importance, but it's also the blackest, bleakest sunnO))) death dirge yet. The vocals on this album, which take far more precedence here than ever, are truly frightening and unique – the echoed shrieks and caterwauls reverberating within "It Took the Night to Believe" sound as though they were performed by real vampires in haunted caverns, and for the epic closer "Bathory Erzebet," the band actually locked claustrophobic vocalist Malefic (aka, Xasthur) inside a miked coffin, then loaded it into a Hearse. These intensive vocal strategies, combined with sunnO)))'s bowel-rupturing low-end surge, is enough to make you shit your pants. But once you've cleaned yourself up, you'll only want to experience Black One all over again.