DEEP IN OCEAN SUNK THE LAMP OF LIGHT

Æthenor is a band consisting of Daniel O'Sullivan from the avant-prog band GUAPO, Vincent De Roguin from the heavy post-rock band SHORA and Stephen O'Malley from the Drone Doom band SUNN O))). With all of these guys in one band one would think this will be one of the heaviest bands ever in existence! Sorry to pop your balloons because that's not going to happen here.

Instead of turning the volume up they lower it down. This is the ambient music that one would expect these guys to make. It's ghastly, dark, sinister and downright creepy. The playing is more on the abstract side and they focus more on making surrealistic soundscapes instead of creating melodies and such. These surrealistic soundscapes are done by various sounds and instruments. Whether its a rumbling drone in the background getting louder by time, the sound of creaking wood, the clattering of metal objects or the haunting keys of a rhodes piano, all of these sounds help to create the dense and disturbing atmospheres of the album. The sound manipulations and sound effects are also an integral part of their sound like in the beginning of the second song when weird screeching noise takes over the rhodes melody giving it a sci-fi vibe to it.

Most of the song here are rather calmed and atmospheric. The album is very dense and layered and although it may seem that there's very little things going on at first glance, more in depth listening will prove the opposite. The last song on the album is maybe the exception since the instruments and sound are more upfront than in the other three songs and also the fastest one to get its message across making it the most accessible one of the bunch.

This album is wonderful to get lost in. The soundscapes created by this band will suck you in and never let you go. It'll take you to place never seen before and I have to warn you that those places are anything but pretty.