User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Feb 8, 2015
    6
    Is it folk? Is it ambient? Is it metal? It is very difficult to accurately label whatever Mount Eerie is doing on Sauna, but it is not difficult to see that Phil Elverum's sound is incredibly experimental and innovative. The songwriting is not as strong as it could have been, but for the most part the sound is enough to make this album deserving of at least a listen or two.

Awards & Rankings

Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Jul 8, 2015
    80
    Sauna opens with the hissing and crackling of a steam room, and things get Benji-er from there.
  2. Mojo
    Apr 22, 2015
    80
    Sauna becomes a transitional journey of self-surrender, Elverum's soft-sung imagist perceptions slowly reaching toward a quiet, meditative transcendence. [May 2015, p.96]
  3. Magnet
    Feb 20, 2015
    90
    This is the first time since 2003 that Elverum fully succeeds in casting a meditative spell strong enough to suck everyone listing into its singular IRL riptide. [No. 117, p.57]