5: Sunn O))) - Domkirke
You might well ask why Domkirke is in The Quietus' 'proper' albums countdown rather than in the live, compilation and reissues competition where it ought to be. To that, we'd like once again to point out that our lists defy the laws of reason, mathematics, and the compulsory liking of Americans with beards. For Domkirke, recorded in Bergen Cathedral, is one of the best Sunn O))) releases to date, and one of the most forward-thinking, ambitious and otherworldly albums this year. Most studio albums released this year simply cannot compete. Quite which trendy vicar thought letting a bunch of dudes in monks robes (one of whom, let us not forget, also sings with Mayhem, a band who have been known to follow the Nordic pursuit of using churches as kindling) turn up and incorporate his pipe organ into their megalithic bass drones is anyone's guest, but praise be for the progressive elements that must exist within the Norwegian ecclesiastical establishment. This is a potent album that takes the Sunn O))) to new sonic territories, where dynamic and melody are given more room to breathe than ever before. Domkirke's echoes, still troubling the Bergen belfry, bode well for Sunn O)))'s next studio album, due next year. Luke Turner