Sunno))) & Boris

Altar

[4/5] Though previous collaborations between the two have occurred only as internet April Fool’s jokes, America’s masters of the glacial drone, Sunn0))), have teamed with Bois-Japan’s masters of the glacial drone that also rocks, for a one-off that’s sure to stimulate the endorphins of drone addicts worldwide. But Boris’ monstrous rhythmic input isn’t all that differentiates Altar from the monolithic bliss of most Sunn0))) recordings: With soft, plaintive singing (no fooling) from Jesse Sykes on the vaguely pastoral “The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep),” guest guitar from Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil on the epic-length drone swarm “Blood Swamp” and hellish vocalizing from Earth/Thrones/High On Fire member Joe Preston on the eight-minute psych-metal implosion “Akuma No Kuma,” the thing’s a veritable all-star disc. Okay, so we’re taking some liberties with the word “star,” but a hirsute grunge icon’s the closest thing this genre has to Jimmy Page. (SOUTHERN LORD; southernlord.com) Aaron Burgess