Tecumseh

Thanks to Sunn0))), drone metal has become the de rigueur sound of nebulous experimentation. Fans seem to forget, however, that those hooded doom-eaters began as a tribute to drone pioneer Dylan Carlson and his noise outfit Earth, and this is where Oregon's Tecumseh embark on their sonic journey to oblivion. Guitarist Jeremy Long does an incredible job in keeping the funereal chords in check at the speed of molasses but it's the double whammy of bassists Ian Hawk and John Krausbauer that drive this Portland trio to unimaginable velocities of sloth. "Skies of Joy and Sorrow" and "Traveling Alongside Death" blanket all aural receptors in an impenetrable fog through ancient, burned-out forests. Twenty-minute monolith "Cascadia" drowns the land in an eternal eclipse. Instead of leaving listeners with a palpable sense of panic, Tecumseh smooth the folds of space, relinquishing control of ships and casting them adrift in the dense solar winds. For those who thought Earth peaked with 1993's Earth II, Tecumseh are waiting patiently to transport you to the ultra-low-frequency core of Avalanche and Inundation.