Aquarius Review

What do you get when you cross SUNNO))), Swiss metallic post rockers Shora and UK proglords Guapo? At the very least we got your attention now don't we? Well, Aethenor is a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley (SUNNO))), Khanate, etc.) Daniel O'Sullivan from Guapo and Vincent De Roguin from Shora and sounds nothing like you might expect. SUNNO))) might be the closest, but don't be expecting any crushing down tuned drones or slow moving sludge, instead Deep In Ocean Sunk The Lamp Of Light is a series of ambient explorations, slow moving sonic floes, very tidal sounding, thick washes of warm whir in a wide open soundscape of murky industrial percussion, and soft sonic wells, All three guys are credited, along with their usual instruments, with 'room', so as you might expect, these tracks are enormous sounding, spacious and grand, epic drifts through a dark landscape of creaking timbers and whirring wind. It's almost like a doomier version of Nurse With Wound's Salt Marie Celeste. An old rickety ship, creaking and groaning as it traverses some haunted pass, replete with moaning demons and all manner of creepy sonic incursions. And that's just the first song! The second song, another lengthy moody crawl, is super minimal, very reminiscent of seventies kraut prog like Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh, thick keyboards that churn and slowly shift, over a backdrop of percussive clatter and keening high end melody. The last two tracks are both around 5 minutes but somehow embody the same sort of epic spaciousness. As a pair they are a bit like the musical version of one of those paintings that from one angle shows the portrait of a person, but from a slightly different angle shows the same person as they appear in death! The first angle is all crumbling distorted organ and tinkling music box melody over an intricate web of tape hiss, record crackle and analog synth splutter, dreamy and dark, like some sort of late night lullaby. The other deathly angle sounds like the track before it but with all the life sucked out, the warm glow dimmed, leaving a gaunt shell, the fuzzy slowly decaying, desiccated skeletal remains of a pretty song. The final few minutes offer up a super creepy haunted house melodic coda, a weird minor key music box melody over a strangely mechanical hissing rumbling rhythm. So spooky! And so nice!!!

Æthenor Press Photo

Hi-Res press image available for download.

Other Music Review

Aethenor is yet another project from prolific doom master Stephen O'Malley of Sunn 0))). Collaborating with Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo) and Vincent de Roguin (Shora), he continues to push the boundaries of heavy atmospheric music. Borrowing some verses from The Illiad, the title heralds what you'll get from this album: dark, murky, epic tones. O'Malley's guitar feedback provides the background hum and clang while de Rougin's organ paints the gloom and O'Sullivan's Rhodes punctuates the mien like a buoy in nebulous waters. Odd howls and scrapes are reminiscent of the jarring metallics of Neubauten at points, and electronic emanations pay homage to Klaus Schulze throughout Aethenor's four tracks -- on average about ten minutes long. If you like dramatic yet expansive soundtracks like Popol Vuh or even more recently the Kronos Quartet/Mogwai collaboration on The Fountain soundtrack, this one's for you. [LG]