Album Details

• Artist: Ascend
• Album: Ample Fire Within
• Label: Southern Lord
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-06-06

Any collaboration between Sunn O)))'s Greg Anderson and Iceburn's Gentry Densley would have to be a sludge-feast of droning, spiritual ya-ya, right? Well, "Ample Fire Within" is that, but the guys also give themselves room to expand on the sounds they are known and loved for.

Songs like "The Obelisk of Kolob" and "V.O.G" find them in the familiar waters of drone and majestic two-chord glory, but "Divine" and especially "Dark Matter" incorporate some fusion along with some more angular soloing. Help comes in the form of friends (guitarists Kim Tayil and Earth's Steve Moore) and nice additions to the sound in trombone, organ and vocal echo-effects.

The promo only included those four tracks out of the six that will be on the official release, so there you go. You'll have to get the disc to see what we've both missed. Overall, though, "Ample Fire Within" plays in the dark wood of mighty drone that distinguishes bands like Earth, Sunn O))) and Iceburn, among others. The sound is heavy and crunchy, with a hint at a profound center. Good with mushrooms, or meditation; this is music for and by seekers.

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