This seventh Sunn O))) album finds Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson greatly expanding their sound alongside the regular cast of collaborators: Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Dylan Carlson (Earth) and Australia's prominent guitarist in all things heavy, Oren Ambarchi. There are surprises in both personnel and composition - the presence of Julian Priester (a veteran of Sun Ra, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock albums over the years) and string player Eyvind Kang bring an infusion of skills and sounds from both the avant-jazz and classical worlds. Add brass, reed and string ensembles and a Viennese female choir and a whole other scale to the band's sonic dimension is evident.

Doom metal purists might be put off somewhat by the avant-classical approach on this newest foray into the blackest-ever-black underside of the dark metal universe, but in truth it integrates with the band's drone-based glacial riffage in a manner that exemplifies great skills of production synergy. Monoliths & Dimensions is undoubtedly an adventurous move for Sunn O))). Aligning with related traditions in jazz and classical music is a bold step for any metal band (especially one already as far out on the fringe of that genre as Sunn O))) is), but this one broadens their definitions of the genre and delivers a massive new scale to the scope of what metal could eventually become. Yet, they retain the intensity and 'heaviness' that are very much in keeping with the band's ceaselessly uncompromising musical standard. Monoliths & Dimensions is a massive, beautiful, frightening, majestic metal transmission from the future, and, with the year 2010 just around the corner, just in time.