Altar (album)

altar
Music album by Sunn O))) & Boris
Publication (s)	October 31, 2006
admission	2006
Label (s)	Southern Lord , Inoxia Records , Daymare Records
Format (s)	CD , LP , Picture Disc
Genre (s)	Drone Doom
Title (number)	8th
running time	53:42
chronology Sunn O))) : Black One 2005 Boris : Vein 2006 altar Sunn O))) : Oracle 2007 Boris : Rainbow 2006

Altar is an album by the two drone doom bands Sunn O))) and Boris . The songs were written and recorded by both bands together. The album was released in various versions. The version from Daymare Records contains the bonus track The Sinking Belle (White Sheep) , which is not present on any other version.

On December 10, 2007, the album was presented at a show in London with some of the guest musicians from the album. At this show a 3 LP - Picture Disc limited to 500 copies was sold.

Emergence

In addition to the two bands Sunn O))) and Boris, there are many guest musicians on the album, such as Kim Thayil ( Soundgarden ), Joe Preston ( Earth , Thrones , The Melvins , High on Fire ), Phil Wanscher and Jesse Skyes ( both Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter ), as well as the long-time Sunn-O))) employees TOS Niewnhuizen and Rex Ritter .

style

On the album, the typical deep guitars played on bass amplifiers for Sunn O))) are accompanied by high guitars and vocals . The use of drums, which is unusual for Sunn O))), is also a unique selling point. As is typical for the genre, the pace is very slow. The music is described as a “noise” and a “roaring wall”.

reception

The website everything2.com sees Altar as the only album on par with the cult album " Earth 2 ". Thomas Jurek thinks that Altar emphasizes “ HEAVY ” more than “ metal ” and awards four out of five stars for this bona fide collaboration in the Allmusic Guide. According to Steve Dollar of the New York Sun, "the two bands are redefining the boundaries of the genre by ignoring them."

The first 3 songs on the album are considered innovative, while the second half is just repetitive.

Track list

CD1: Altar: Prelude (SatanOscillateMyMetallicSonatas)

1. "Her Lips Were Wet With Venom" - 28:14
   • Atsuo - drums
   • Greg Anderson - guitar
   • Stephen O'Malley - guitar
   • Wata - lead guitar
   • Takeshi - guitar & bass
   • Dylan Carlson - guitar
   • Tos Nieuwenhuizen - Korg MS-20
   • Rex Knight - Moog Taurus

CD2: Altar

1. "Etna" - 9:51
   • Greg Anderson: guitar
   • Atsuo: drums
   • Stephen O'Malley: Guitar
   • Takeshi: guitar & bass
   • Wata: lead guitar
2. "NLT" - 3:49
   • Atsuo: bowed cymbal & gong
   • Bill Herzog: Bass
3. "The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)" - 7:37
   • Jesse Sykes : vocals
   • Takeshi: guitar
   • Wata: guitar, Roland RE-201
   • Stephen O'Malley: piano
   • Greg Anderson: Bass
   • Atsuo: Electronic Filters
   • Bill Herzog & Phil Wandscher: vocals
   • Adrienne Davies: Percussion
4. "Akuma no Kuma" - 7:52
   • Atsuo: key drums
   • Joe Preston: Vocoder
   • Greg Anderson: Moog Rogue
   • Stephen O'Malley: Korg MS-20
   • Bill Herzog: Snare
   • Steve Moore: Trumpet
   • TOS Nieuwenhuizen: Oberheim
   • Troy Swanson: Oberheim
   • Randall Dunn: Korg MS-20, Sherman Filter Bank , Echoplex
   • Mell Dettmer: Roland SH-101
5. "Fried Eagle Mind" - 9:47
   • Wata: vocals & guitar
   • Stephen O'Malley: Guitar Califone
   • Takeshi: guitar
   • Greg Anderson: Bass
   • TOS Nieuwenhuizen: Moog Taurus
   • Troy Swanson: Oberheim 4 voices
   • Randall Dunn: Korg MS-20 & Nature Sounds
6. "The Sinking Belle (Black Sheep)" - 5:05 (Japanese CD bonus track)
   • Wata: Roland RE-201 , guitar
   • Eyvind Kang : viola , violin
   • TOS Nieuwenhuizen: Moog Taurus
   • Randall Dunn: Korg MS-20
7. "The Sinking Belle (White Sheep)" - 4:36 (Japanese 3LP bonus track)
   • Takeshi: guitar
   • Wata: guitar, Roland RE-201
   • Stephen O'Malley: piano
   • Greg Anderson: Bass
   • Atsuo: traps
   • Eyvind Kang: viola, violin
   • Tos Nieuwenhuizen: Moog Taurus
   • Randall Dunn: Korg MS-20
8. "Blood Swamp" - 14:46
   • Atsuo: Gong
   • Greg Anderson: guitar
   • Stephen O'Malley: Guitar
   • Wata: guitar
   • Takeshi: guitar & bass
   • Kim Thayil : guitar
   • Rex Knight: Moog Taurus
   • TOS Nieuwenhuizen: Moog Rogue

Publications

year	Label	format	country	Is still being pressed	Remarks
2006	Southern Lord	CD	United States	Yes
2006	Southern Lord	2CD	United States	No	Limited to 5000 copies. Including bonus track Her Lips Were Wet with Venom
2006	Inoxia Records	2CD	Japan	No	Limited to 1000 copies. Includes bonus tracks The Sinking Belle (Black Sheep) and Her Lips Were Wet with Venom
2006	Southern Lord	3LP	United States	No	Limited to 10,600 copies. Including bonus track Her Lips Were Wet with Venom
2007	Inoxia Records	3LP	Japan	No	Limited to 1000 copies. Includes bonus tracks The Sinking Belle (White Sheep) and Her Lips Were Wet with Venom
2007	Southern Lord	3LP Pic Disc	United States	No	Limited to 500 copies. Sold only during a live performance in London on December 10, 2007.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ CD Aviable Now. sunn & boris altar, archived from the original on March 5, 2007 ; Retrieved April 5, 2010 .  
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Thomas Jurek: Altar Review (accessed March 14, 2010)
3. ↑ ^{a b} Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Sunn O))) & Boris: Altar (accessed March 25, 2010)
4. ^ Everything2.com: Review of Earth 2 (Retrieved March 9, 2010)
5. ↑ Steve Dollar: Bringing the Heavy Back to Metal. (Accessed March 25, 2010)
6. ↑ Sonicfrontiers: Sunn O))) & Boris: Altar Review ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )