Monoliths & Dimensions
by Sunn O)))
User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 90 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 90
  3. Negative: 24 out of 90

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  1. postmodernpanda
    Oct 1, 2010
    10
    every aspect of this album is brilliant. I'm usually not a huge drone fan but the massive amount of elements and huge atmosphere won me over. Insanely good.
  2. CharlesH
    Jun 10, 2009
    10
    Amazing album. Does exactly what they needed to do to progress musically and dynamically. A masterpiece of its genre.
  3. MarkS
    Jun 21, 2009
    8
    "Aghartha" is the perfect choice to open your 2009 Halloween mix.
  4. OkerN
    Jun 13, 2009
    10
    I don't think most people, reviewers included, realize that they've heard one of, if not The record of the decade, and the reason for that is quite simple indeed: they didn't turn it up loud enough. Give it 10 years. See what they'll be saying then.
  5. bs
    Jul 19, 2009
    9
    I guess the closed-minded are allowed to voice their opinions too. But come on, if you can't get in to a band, you don't unerstand what they're trying to achieve, or they just rub you the wrong way, that makes them pretentious and hipsters? Get a real argument a**holes.
  6. JesseT.
    Aug 6, 2009
    9
    Let me preface this by saying that this is not an album for people who believe that guitars can ONLY be played by plucking and strumming them. Last time I checked, guitars did not come with instruction manuals on how to play them. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. With that being said, this music is about exploring realms of human emotion and musical sound that have not Let me preface this by saying that this is not an album for people who believe that guitars can ONLY be played by plucking and strumming them. Last time I checked, guitars did not come with instruction manuals on how to play them. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. With that being said, this music is about exploring realms of human emotion and musical sound that have not been explored very deep. Of course, some people who believe in music in the classic sense will most like be put off by the free-form and extreme experimentation, but that is what I think is this goup's strong point. Beauty can be found the most unexpected of places. You have to be open and look to find it first though.… Expand
  7. Sean
    Jan 21, 2010
    9
    Why are people complaining about this album? You dont need to have a Ph. D in music theory to understand that this is not a traditional style of music, nor is it an attempt to blow you away with explosive creativity. Yes, the notes seem to 'drone' on for ages. No, Sunn 0))))) is not trying to impress a specific crowd of metal heads who worship satan. This album may not meet the Why are people complaining about this album? You dont need to have a Ph. D in music theory to understand that this is not a traditional style of music, nor is it an attempt to blow you away with explosive creativity. Yes, the notes seem to 'drone' on for ages. No, Sunn 0))))) is not trying to impress a specific crowd of metal heads who worship satan. This album may not meet the criteria for what you consider 'music'. This is art - and art doesn't care if you like it. The artists in this band take their work seriously, and have obviously made an impression on people. Again, you are not required to like art. If you are looking for something a little more palatable - something you can dance to - I recommend the newest release from the Arctic Monkeys. If, on the other hand, you are willing to let someone try another method for stimulating your ears and your mind, give this record another listen.… Expand
  8. SteveR.
    Dec 7, 2009
    9
    It was a great album. The first track is a bit weak, but everything else on the album is amazing.
  9. JohnM.
    Oct 29, 2009
    7
    This is a very good record, but that is not why I am here. I am here because I am tired of people without anything constructive to say about this, or any other record, going on to make personal attacks about those who enjoy it. There are a myriad tastes in the world, and people listen to music for many different reasons. Just because you do not have an appreciation for something like this This is a very good record, but that is not why I am here. I am here because I am tired of people without anything constructive to say about this, or any other record, going on to make personal attacks about those who enjoy it. There are a myriad tastes in the world, and people listen to music for many different reasons. Just because you do not have an appreciation for something like this does not mean that everyone else who does is pretentious or a hipster, or "one of those loser metal types that think you're so dark and messed up that chanting about satan is cool." Those of us who do enjoy aberrant styles of music do not do so to be hip, and to criticize a record because you believe that that is why people rate it highly is a red herring. Please keep your comments confined to the music itself, that is what is meant to be reviewed on a site like this. Thank you.… Expand
  10. GabrielC
    Jun 15, 2009
    10
    A great masterpiece, one of the best metal albums of the decade, hands down.
  11. EricC.
    Jun 28, 2009
    10
    Really is deserving of a 10. The fact that Sunn have created an album this beautiful is on its own astonishing, considering the overwhelming darkness of their previous releases. Not that this is an Earth-like reinvention in atmosphere. Opening track "Agartha" is especially unsettling. But as a whole, there is more to explore here than just darkness and depressive drones. This is an album Really is deserving of a 10. The fact that Sunn have created an album this beautiful is on its own astonishing, considering the overwhelming darkness of their previous releases. Not that this is an Earth-like reinvention in atmosphere. Opening track "Agartha" is especially unsettling. But as a whole, there is more to explore here than just darkness and depressive drones. This is an album to lose yourself in, an epic symphony that is feeling more and more like the pinnacle of drone and avant metal. It is easily the best album I've heard this year, and it's been a great year for metal. Maybe it won't hit most people as hard as it hit me, but it should reach more listeners than Sunn's traditional followers. Albums like this don't come along very often, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't atleast listen to it once.… Expand
  12. KateS
    Jun 9, 2009
    10
    Wow! this album is incredible music masterpiece.
  13. MarylinY
    Jun 9, 2009
    10
    One of the best metal albums of the decade.
  14. LanceR
    Jul 18, 2009
    10
    Rudiger and Axel, you are both casualties of misinterpretation. I also doubt that either of you listened to the album properly. I will explain things to you, smugly, to counter your fascinatingly bitter conclusions. This music has nothing to do with virtuosity, with melody, with rhythm, and, believe it or not, with artistic pretension, though I have yet to confirm that latter statement Rudiger and Axel, you are both casualties of misinterpretation. I also doubt that either of you listened to the album properly. I will explain things to you, smugly, to counter your fascinatingly bitter conclusions. This music has nothing to do with virtuosity, with melody, with rhythm, and, believe it or not, with artistic pretension, though I have yet to confirm that latter statement with Stephen O'Mally. Either way, Sunn have made it clear: their music needs to be played LOUD, and that doesn't mean through your laptop speakers. You need to blast that shit, on big speakers, properly. And this takes courage, because their "music" is actually trying to achieve a desired effect through timbre and vibration. It's music serving as a physical force, not an emotional or intellectual one. And by physical, I mean that you should FEEL the sound pressing against your body. But granted, you do need a pair of balls to experience Monoliths as intended. Your ears will be punished, but the reward lies in the experience of staring directly into the Sunn, even if it blinds you. Do this, THEN rate the album. If you still stand by your statements, without pride as a motivator, I too will stand corrected.… Expand
  15. JamesR
    Jul 27, 2009
    10
    So good! Can't wait to see it preformed at the haunted Brookdale Lodge!
  16. RaulV
    Aug 20, 2009
    8
    I find this to be good chill music. It's very slow, but not boring or pretentious (I don't know where people are getting pretentious from). It's not for everyone, but please don't be stupid and call it "uncreative". Bands like Three Days Grace are uncreative, not this.
  17. Lol:)R.
    Aug 25, 2009
    7
    At First, It Starts with Agartha, which was a mind blowingly horrible song. I, however, stuck through the album after the 1 star song tragedy, and listened to Big Church. It was brilliant. Using christian gospel chiors in tandem with dronign guitars I thought would never work, but it did! It was eerie, lazily simple, but at the same inadvertently sophisticated. This song came in at 4 At First, It Starts with Agartha, which was a mind blowingly horrible song. I, however, stuck through the album after the 1 star song tragedy, and listened to Big Church. It was brilliant. Using christian gospel chiors in tandem with dronign guitars I thought would never work, but it did! It was eerie, lazily simple, but at the same inadvertently sophisticated. This song came in at 4 stars. After Big Church, there came Hunting and Gathering (Cydonia). This song was the first time I had ever heard Sunn O))) put an ounce of creativity into. They usually just play the same guitar notes over and over with loud volumes. But this one had the grinding guitar rhythm that was layered perfectly with low voiced vocals. In the final 2 or 3 minutes of this ten minute epic, it had the bell from Big Church and the quick muttering. This is something I found inventive. That and the trombones made this song a great opener for your Halloween 2009 mix. 4 stars out of five. The final song, and certainly the best song was Alice. The simple guitar rhythm provided a spooky, eerie texture to the song, and then it faded into an incredible jazz-ensemble outtro. It was incredible. It was mesmerizing. It was, in my opinion, one of the best songs ever made. 5 stars out of five. The mean for 1, 4, 4, 5 is 3.5, making it tied with OK Computer for best album ever on my list. Exactly seven out of 10.… Expand
  18. Keith
    Aug 28, 2009
    10
    Fortunately, not more of the same - the introduction of more instruments into the album while not overloading the songs brings to the sound its appropriate atmosphere. And yes, one feels the power of the Sunn O))) when he blasts it from powerful speakers. "Alice" might be their most graceful and beautiful track yet.
  19. PatrickF.
    Aug 29, 2009
    9
    Not my favorite Sunn release, but it's really good. I'm not sure why the people who are reviewing it so poorly expected to like it in the first place. If you previously didn't understand or like drone, this album probably won't be one to change your mind, awesome as it is. Reading these reviews is an exercise in frustration; it's like a bunch of people, fully Not my favorite Sunn release, but it's really good. I'm not sure why the people who are reviewing it so poorly expected to like it in the first place. If you previously didn't understand or like drone, this album probably won't be one to change your mind, awesome as it is. Reading these reviews is an exercise in frustration; it's like a bunch of people, fully aware of their dislike for modern art, walking into the MoMA and loudly complaining about how awful and artless everything is. But to even these people, I suggest dropping your 'musical virtuosity' shields for once and letting the visceral effect of this album smother you. Maybe it'll do you some good. It's not suitable for every mood or situation, but when the mood does fit, it is fantastic.… Expand
  20. LukeK
    Aug 5, 2009
    10
    This stuff is amazing. I don't know how you can call it pretentious, it's formed out of genres that have already existed. It's just done a lot better than most have attempted. Also, Best. Band. Name. Ever.
  21. NOTR.
    Jul 18, 2009
    10
    Kid, stick w/ your Sujan Stevens albums okay? "Trend" has nothing to do with it - and with you so HEAVILY relying on use of that term, you reveal MUCH about yourself and ZERO about this album. It's like a 9 year-old trying to explain 2001: A Space Odyssey to you?
  22. MichaelD
    Jul 22, 2009
    10
    This album sounds, to me, like genuine art. I was a skeptic when I first turned it on, giving it a listen because of such high marks, but I started to jive with it. I speak only from personal impression, but I feel like the artists had a vision and created what they heard just because they wanted to. The music may seem campy at times (exaggeratedly deep voices, church bells, etc.), but I This album sounds, to me, like genuine art. I was a skeptic when I first turned it on, giving it a listen because of such high marks, but I started to jive with it. I speak only from personal impression, but I feel like the artists had a vision and created what they heard just because they wanted to. The music may seem campy at times (exaggeratedly deep voices, church bells, etc.), but I feel like it's not supposed to be taken entirely seriously. To me, it's listening to the music in the heart of Bram Stoker's Dracula, and it is badass... and on top of that, it is well composed. Maybe not one for daily listening, but I'm glad this album was made, and I support their efforts with a high score. … Collapse
  23. Matt
    Aug 13, 2009
    9
    The people who dismiss this record as a "joke" are probably the same people who dont "get" Pollock or Rothko while at art museums because it isnt easily decipherable or full of colorful cherubs. I completely understand this type of music isnt for everyone, but to expect that it SHOULD cater to you is where you've gone astray. If you didnt like drone metal before, why is it a shock The people who dismiss this record as a "joke" are probably the same people who dont "get" Pollock or Rothko while at art museums because it isnt easily decipherable or full of colorful cherubs. I completely understand this type of music isnt for everyone, but to expect that it SHOULD cater to you is where you've gone astray. If you didnt like drone metal before, why is it a shock that you dont now? Sunn is not a band I listen to often, nor do I think I would really want to. But their works are incredibly powerful when in the proper setting and frame of mind (drugs are not necessary..this IS the drug). And to echo the others here, you need to listen to it at maximum volume on a VERY GOOD stereo system. My appreciation for these guys went up ten-fold when I caught their live show. In that setting, the sound truly does shake your inner soul and leave you falling backwards into a infinite black abyss. The ironic thing is, Monoliths and Dimensions is easily their most accessible work to date, especially Alice which is one of the most darkly beautiful tracks I've heard this year.… Expand
  24. P.M.
    Aug 25, 2009
    10
    Did Julian Priester introduce Sunn O))) to trombonist George Lewis' 1979 "Homage to Charlie Parker"? This is great material.
  25. RickieD
    Jul 3, 2012
    10
    I'm genuinely baffled by the people who say there's no progression in the songs. 'Alice' starts off with a creeping, slow guitar riff and ends with a wailing horn... How are they the same thing? This is music that requires focus, attention, and an appreciation of where it's come from and what it's trying to do. That can take years to accomplish. I first came to Sunn O))) ten years ago andI'm genuinely baffled by the people who say there's no progression in the songs. 'Alice' starts off with a creeping, slow guitar riff and ends with a wailing horn... How are they the same thing? This is music that requires focus, attention, and an appreciation of where it's come from and what it's trying to do. That can take years to accomplish. I first came to Sunn O))) ten years ago and couldn't stand them. Now I've gone back, having seen them live and buying a sound system that can almost manage the low-end layers, and it all makes sense. It's not pretentious, it's not "just art" (whatever the hell that means), it's a form of music that asks more of its audience than other styles, and creates atmospheres that most other bands would struggle to begin to understand.

    And if you think you could make money by sticking a mic by a washing machine and distorting the effects for 30 minutes, just **** do it and get some money so that you'll hopefully feel less of a need to act like a moron. You're like the children who stand before a Picasso and say it's "just splatters of paint". If you don't get it, you don't get it, but don't broadcast your ignorance like it's an achievement.    … Expand
  26. Carby225
    Dec 18, 2019
    9
    Absolutely Incredible. As an emotional college student, I assign great value to avant-garde compositions which remind me of our impending doom. The composition is creative, brilliantly executed, and most definitely a wonderful divergence from the music of 00s.
    It makes me feel like the star of my own gothic horror film.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Album of 2009
27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. AllMusic
    90
    Monoliths and Dimensions succeeds because it is the sound of a new music formed from the ashen forge of drone, rock, and black metal.
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  2. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    Hopefully those that came to SunnO))) through "Black One" will find much to love here. If they don’t they will be seriously missing out as Monoliths & Dimensions is devastatingly epic.
    Read full review
  3. Drowned In Sound
    100
    For anyone interested in music that works both as art and an intensely new exciting experience--this is easily the best album that has come out this year.
    Read full review
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