Apr 25, 2019
Listen/purchase: Black Volume II by Sun Below
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Listen/purchase: Black Volume II by Sun Below
LISTEN: "Methuselah Star" by Sun Below
From their upcoming split album Inter Terra Solis (September 15) with Earth Altar, stoner doom metal duo Sun Below have unleashed “Methuselah Star”. The band says this about the song, We are super excited to begin to reveal hidden truths from the distant bellows of space with the release of ‘Methuselah Star’. Appearing on the record as an interlude, but more fully realized in this single…
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Toronto’s SUN BELOW Take Us on a Cosmonautic Trip for Their Full-Length Debut
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
By Billy Goate
Album Art by Adam C. Design & Illustration
Though I've spent the majority of my adult life in the United States, I was actually born in Canada. As such, I've been entirely fascinated by the growing heavy music scene over the past 10-20 years in cities like Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Whitehorse, Quebec, and Toronto. To the latter we now scatter, converging upon a singular band: SUN BELOW.
This band just gets me high, man. Maybe it's because Jason Craig (guitars, vox), Will Adams (drums), and Garrison Thordarson (bass) have a good feeling for concepts and the musical implications of fantasy. They've been grinding away since at least 2018, releasing three EPs and forging a sound worthy of a bonafide full-length record. Before us: the band's first album, 'Sun Below' (2021) -- a psychedelic doom adventure for our age.
It kicks off with "Chronwall Neanderthal," which grabs us by the shirt right away with its boisterous drumming, hellish fuzz, and reverberating vocals. The lyrics are a bit of an esoteric riddle, painting a picture in three word phrases like "hallowed flame Harvest," "crystal stone Dooman," and (my favorite) "bong and bone Awaken." We featured this track on our recent compilation, 'Doomed & Stoned in Canada (Volume II)' (2021) -- which came out in October. It's one I continue to enjoy, especially in the early mornings when I'm looking for a peppy vibe to carpe diem.
Sun Below continues the chronicles of the "Holy Drifter," a motif that has been central to their work so far. Track number (and indeed, the whole album) elucidates Holy Drifter's nature and motivation.
Ragged drifter walks the holy path Seeking out the ancient herb Gift of sight a curse in stranger's eyes Fear the future yet untold
Shifting down in tempo, we can really appreciate the low-lows of those deliciously downtuned instruments of doom, while the drumming remains strong. Hommages to Dopesmoker are hinted at here and there, especially in the impressive guitar play that seems to tune right into that Matt Pike wavelength, while distinguishing itself with sanguine moments of chill phrasing. Even at a doom's pace, the drumming is meaty and full of heart, something that's not easily accomplished in slower tempos. All three join in unison for an anthemic vocal section in the waning moments:
Wisdom's eyes, burning red Sativa rising from red shed Calling to the peaks of pike Smoke builds up and frees the mind
Ever wondered if doom can dance? Sun Below makes it happen with third track "Shiva Sativa" -- one of three instrumentals on the record, reminiscent of those lively Black Sabbath B-section romps.
Craving a return to the low 'n' slow, the trio conjure "Green Visions" next. The bass generates a dank wah as the guitar croons to the crushing weight of skins and cymbals. The reverb on the vocals reminds me so much of Orchid here.
Green visions What did you see? Green visions What did it mean?
After another instrumental ("Bong Psalm"), Sun Below bring us the off-beat "Kinetic Kief" and a murky "Doom Stick" before summoning their full powers for "Twin Worlds" -- an 18-minute behemoth in two parts that gets very psychedelic. Warning: it's quite easy to get lost in this one! Beginning with a march-like beat, the Holy Drifter trips out and falls into an alternate timeline in history. Explains the band:
By this part in the album’s story, the Drifter has grown fatigued with his lack of understanding of his visions and decides to scale the Chronwall to the peak of his mountain shrine. There, he commences a ritual that creates a rift in space-time, and through the newly created void looming above him, he encounters a future version of himself in the distant future. Through a telepathic link established between them, the Drifter learns that many years from now, the sun is threatening to imminently burn out in the future, and the future Drifter decides to impart this knowledge of impending doom, as well as an enhanced strain of the Sativa herb, to his younger counterpart. Musically, it is the most ambitious track on the record in length and in scope, as it combines groove with the crushing weight of impending doom as well as spaced out vocals which themselves seem to echo across time.
At last, we reach our destination, the aptly titled "Solar Burnout." It's the bluesiest number of the set and my personal favorite (maybe because me and burnout are such close acquaintances).
Light flickers from the smoking star Scorched embers, burning low Depart for worlds of potent green Drifting somewhere in the galaxy
It's got a good share of groove, too. Some will be reminded of the more jaded tracks from Electric Wizard's catalog, all the while cognizant that we have here a talented young crew with a vision uniquely their own. Jason Craig's guitar solo really sings on this one, too, guiding us all the way to the record's rumbling finish.
Look for Sun Below to drop this weekend (pre-order here), which you can hear in the meanwhile as Doomed & Stoned brings you the album's exclusive premiere!
Give ear...
Sun Below by Sun Below
SOME BUZZ
Sun Below is a heavy stoner/doom power trio from Toronto. Playing a signature brand of self-described Sativa rock, a combination of fuzz, volume, and heavy grooves, Sun Below seeks to spread their infectious, rollicking sound to the masses.
Starting as a humble seedling in 2018, the trio formed with a desire to create heavy rock with stoner/doom elements in a groovy Sabbath style, and through constant improvisation, the material is grown organically first with the music and then with the lyrics.
Engaging, extended tracks compiled with a crushing amount of volume touch on topics including cannabis, the occult, Lovecraft, unexplained occurrences, the infiniteness of space and the Holy Drifter. Even at length, each track is an exceptional sonic journey through space and time. Inviting their listeners to get into the groove and the headspace of the music, Sun Below is the perfect combination of a mellow trip with an energetic Sativa boost.
The trio of Jason Craig (guitars/vocals), Garrison Thordarson (bass/backing vocals) and Will Adams (drums/backing vocals) specialize in loose, long burning jams that worship at the altar of tone, riffs, and smoke, but also brim with raw bombastic heavy metal rock to keep the energy up high. Smoke up, tune down, play loud, burnout.
Still relatively new, but reaching towards the light and maturation, Sun Below have been hard at work sharing the stage with the likes of Black Mastiff and Chron Goblin -- releasing three EPs: Black Volume EP (2018), Black Volume EP II (2019), Black Volume EP III (2019), and a music video "Into the Haze." In addition, they were featured on Doomed & Stoned in Canada, Volume 2 (2021). With a new stoner sun set to rise this autumn, the power trio will release their first full-length debut on November 19th to keep the fuzzy momentum going.
The self-titled album has a running time of an hour and ten minutes. It was self-produced, mixed by Will Adams (drums), engineered by Farmer Jesse, recorded at Rival Sound Studios and the album artwork was done by Adam C Design and Illustration.
According to Sun Below, anyone who has been following them through their previous releases will see this record as the final destination on the holy path they have traversed. The concepts and themes present in their past work have now come together fully formed after years of practice.
Fans of big riffs, fuzzed-out guitars, crushing drums, and driving bass will not be disappointed in this record especially those with an interest in Sleep, Electric Wizard, and Red Fang.
Doomed & Stoned in Canada (Vol II) by Sun Below
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♫ Opeth - Moon Above, Sun Below
Opeth - Moon Above, Sun Below
"Moon Above, Sun Below" by Opeth
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