I first heard about Sun Worship through the Broken Limbs Recordings bandcamp page, where this record is streaming. As luck would have it, not long after that, I received an e-mail from Lars who plays in the band. He asked if I'd be up for reviewing this two-track record, which of course I was!
Sun Worship hail from Berlin, Germany and play post-black metal. They released a self-titled demo in 2011, followed by a split with a band called Earth Chaos in 2012 and then this two-track vinyl record earlier this year. The record is one-sided with an awesome etched b-side. The record was released by An Out Recordings.
Tracklist:-
1. Castle High
2. Eclipse
Sun Worship is pretty heavy, but in a ritualistic and textured manner. They let their guitar carry the majority of the song, with the drums blasting the background. When they do open up though, their black metal sounds ferocious. Just listen to Castle High as it kicks in! It's also a very expansive opener, spanning a little over five minutes in length, meaning that Sun Worship has plenty of time to infuse ideas and variation into their music. If you listen to it at volume, you'll begin to pick out subtle twists and turns as well, like hidden melody and the rumbling low-end. The guitars also create a kind of symphonic treble sound, which adds a touch of grandeur to the music.
That expansive song writing is taken further during second song Eclipse. You can understand where Sun Worship's post-metal influence comes from when you listen to the extended instrumental sections. The melody created is strangely menacing and at time haunting and without the vocals, washes over you and transports you to another place. It's not without its moments though, especially when they briefly return to their blackened best. The closing bars of feedback lead you to complete silence and leave you cleansed in a way that a lot of music can't.
This record shows two sides to Sun Worship. There's the more chaotic blackened side that features on Castle High and the more thoughtful side that rears it's head during Eclipse. They prove that they can write dramatic music that will not just appeal to fans of black metal, but should also appeal to fans from further afield. I really hope they release more music and continue to grow, because there is definitely a place for them in the metal stratosphere!
Listen for yourselves here:-
Sun Worship has generously offered Surpass Eclipse digitally as a name-your-price-download via their bandcamp page. You can also purchase a copy of the amazing screen-printed twelve inch from the same page.
Sun Worship are not on social media, so I can't post a link (though if someone knows of one, please send it my way and I'll update my review).
You can find them on Metal Archives here - http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Sun_Worship.
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