Ensemble Pearl - Ensemble Pearl (2013)

This album features members of legendary drone/doom bands Sunn O))) and Boris (as well as some other talented musicians), but the result sounds like neither band. If anything, this album sounds very close to the Old Western cinematic soundscapes of the highly influential drone band Earth. It's an incredibly slow, brooding, and meandering album that evokes an aura of mystery and contemplation. It's the kind of album one would listen to while exploring a cave or looking up at the stars. As with Earth's albums, it's also the kind of album that requires extreme patience and concentration in order to notice the subtle dynamics of the music. That said I don't plan on listening to this album very often as it requires a certain mood and presence to do so, but I certainly appreciate it as a brilliant piece of art.
8.5/10