Sunday 24 January 2021

SUNNATA - Burning In Heaven, Melting On Earth (Album Review)

Release date: February 26th 2021. Label: Self Released. Format: DD/CD/Vinyl

Burning In Heaven, Melting On Earth – Tracklisting

1.Crows
2.God Emperor of Dune
3.A Million Lives
4.Black Serpent
5.Völva (The Seeress)
6.Way Out


Review

While still listening to a ton of music over the last year I haven't written a review on quite a while. Thanks to Steve for bringing me back in. I decided to dive in head first with the thunderous new album by Sunnata. Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth is the Polish doom bringers 4th full length and delves deep into themes of religious fanaticism and crushing grooves. The band's sound is described as doom with touches of grunge and psychedelia. The description is amazingly accurate. The six tracks on the record are brimming with heavy guitars, driving bass, monstrous drumming and ominous vocals delivered in harsh screams and tight harmonies.

The record opens with the killer track Crows. A slow, heavy bass groove and eerie Mark Lanegan like vocals bring you in before exploding with Mastodon sounding power and harmonies. The quiet to loud grunge inspired dynamic is superb.

The sprawling God Emperor of Doom follows and entrances the listener for nearly 9 minutes of slow, dreamy dark psychedelia.

A Million Lives shows the band picking up the tempo and shifting it into quite a few different gears that deliver harsh screams and middle eastern sounding chants.

The spectacular Black Serpent keeps the tempo moving. Echoey, reverb heavy guitars and harmonies veer into screams and chants then into a slick QOTSA like breakdown. Another stellar moment.

Volva (The Seeress) slows things down again for a bit with a slow, heavy bass groove and angular guitars with dark, hypnotic vocals that erupt into a killer chorus equal parts Mastodon and Alice in Chains.

The record closes with the ominous sound of Way Out. Heavily effected vocals give way to reverb heavy guitars and a driving western drumbeat. The changes and feel of the track leave the listener as if they are looking into a dark sky and are unsure what they are seeing or would even want to see.

Burning in Heaven, Melting on Earth was my first experience with this amazing band. Sunnata has definitely got a strong understanding and love for the Doom sound and I will most definitely be visiting their back catalogue and looking forward to the dark future with what they concoct moving on. This is a great record, you will need to check out!

Words by - Todd S - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Thanks to Lisa at Hold Tight PR for the promo.

Burning In Heaven, Melting On Earth will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via SUNNATA from February 26th 2021.

Links:

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