In recent years, Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley have pushed the live sound of Sunn O))) away from the typical riffs, robes, and dry ice formula. This release documents one of two site-specific performances given in Europe since 2006; here their hyper-amplified doom is played out within the confines of Bergen's Domkirken cathedral and utilizes the church's organ as well as its massive acoustics (the other performance being the Moog Ceremony concert in Brussels). Joined by some Sunn O))) regulars (as well as Lasse Marhaug), this is one of the better live albums by a group whose discography is peppered with savage live recordings.
It is odd to think of a metal band being allowed to play in a church in Norway, let alone in Bergen itself, considering the havoc that those in the black metal community have caused in the past. It is especially surprising considering Attila Csihar is so connected with that scene, recording the sublime Die Mysteriis Dom Sathanas with Mayhem at the peak of black metal’s notoriety. Sunn O))) are always impressive live, but looking at the fantastic photography on the inner sleeves, I would imagine sitting in a cathedral looking at these robed figures playing such all-consuming music must have been mind blowing.
The first side of this double LP is one of the finest moments from Sunn O))) as it completely defies any expectations one could have of the group. Steve Moore begins the concert on the cathedral’s organ, creating an initially delicate drone and later builds the music up, embellishing it as he goes. All the while, Csihar’s vocals resonate through the bowels of the cathedral. Appropriately he takes influence from Gregorian chant before moving on to an almost operatic style. While he is never going to be found performing in a traditional concert hall with an orchestra, his vocals have long been one of the best things about Sunn O))) live. Here he struggles to stay in the same key as Moore’s organ but it works, his pained chants sounding suitably grim.
The other three sides of Dømkirke see the full line up for the evening’s ritual join the duo of Moore and Csihar (with Moore switching between being organist and his usual role of trombone player). A more usual Sunn O))) set ensues although at what seems like a lower volume than usual (so as not to literally bring the house down I presume). Marhaug and TOS Nieuwenhuizen’s electronics flesh out the already beefy sound of Anderson and O’Malley’s bass and guitar assault, the most apt description of the results being that it is a miasma of crashing chords and low end feedback. The only problem with the album is one that plagues all long recordings put onto vinyl: flipping it over mid-song. Luckily, the original performance was in twenty-odd minute chunks between changes in sound, but only side one finishes naturally. The breaks in the main bulk of the set do disrupt the flow of the performance but this is a minor quibble at worst.
Hardcore Sunn O))) fans have probably already heard this performance via the two bootlegs (audio and DVD) that were made available shortly after the performance occurred. Curiously, even though this double LP sounds pretty good, it does not quite capture the resonance of the building like the audience recording available in the CD-R trading world. That being said, I cannot see myself playing the bootleg much after hearing this.
Sorry, no samples as this is a vinyl-only release.
