ALBUM REVIEW: Sun – ΛΔΛΜ

It probably isn’t much of a surprise that an album with a name like Sun feels pretty massive. While science tells us it’s by no means the largest star in the universe, it can still be hard to wrap our tiny little minds around the whole thing. This is the focus of the debut full-length from Greek quintet ΛΔΛΜ (pronounced Adam). Described as a concept album, the band initially released their “ode to our star” off their own backs last year. That garnered a solid reception, amassing some 200,000 streams worldwide. This was at least enough to earn them a physical re-release via Venerate Industries, which lands on June 4th.

The album’s concept isn’t the only thing that makes this record feel huge. ΛΔΛΜ‘s music is similarly broad in scope. In just 35 minutes, they draw influence from grunge, post-rock, alternative metal, sludge, stoner rock and more. You might think all this could make for a bit of a mess, but that never happens here. Instead, the band maintain a consistent stamp of their own identity, even as they traverse often changing musical terrain. As a result, this album flows excellently, with a real sense of journey and progression to its story.

The band open proceedings slowly with …And Then There Was Light. There’s a feeling of gathering storm here, or perhaps more aptly a quiet gloomy darkness. Subtle textures and bass parts gradually join clean guitars, taking their time before the kind of explosion that perfectly captures the song’s title. This lands us in huge, doomy territory, with a simple riff providing backing to more celestial atmospherics. It’s hefty, transportive stuff, capturing our star more as a menacing fiery entity than a distant source of light.

From here, the album remains evocative throughout. Each track conjures strong feelings of different places and landscapes, from the heights of outer space, to sweltering, scorching deserts. After the opener, Super Silver Haze takes us somewhere murkier and more earthy. There’s more of a human feel here too – no doubt from the introduction of Panagiotis ‘Takis’ Chaloulakos‘ floating melodic vocals. These give voice to the record’s protagonist, who tells us “The stars in the sky, they call to me” as the band sporadically kick into vibey and driving alt-metal. Never Say Never after that is less of a scene change. The atmosphere here is thick and moody, reminiscent of the more laidback sides of bands like ALICE IN CHAINS and KYUSS.

Without question, one of the best qualities of this record is in the way that ΛΔΛΜ never seem hurried. Even when they do inject a degree of urgency, as on fourth track Enter: Oblivion, there’s still a sense of control and restraint. As a result, they manage to make the record’s relatively slim runtime feel much longer, but in a good way. By taking their time and giving space to their ideas, listeners are free to sit back and allow the music to transport them to the album’s changing scenes and settings.

ΛΔΛΜ bring Sun to a close with the expansive Monolith trilogy. In Phase #1: As Above, we join our protagonist “in another plane of consciousness” as he reflects on his problems. Again, it’s a testament to the band that this is something you can really pick up on in the music. There’s a slow, meditative feel to this one, most of it built around a simple, hypnotic riff. After that, Phase #2: So Below may well be the best song on the album. It starts out heavy and scuzzy before becoming quite beautifully melodic with the introduction of lilting acoustic guitars. The rest of the song walks a line between these two places, with our protagonist “waiting for a sun that never comes.” Phase #3: Eclipse rounds things out in devastating fashion. There’s a degree of full-circle here, as a short doomy instrumental charts our defeated protagonist’s return to earth.

It may not be a happy ending then, but the journey ΛΔΛΜ take us on is undeniably impressive. You can definitely see why this album warranted a vinyl re-release. It’s a record that’s worth taking the time to sit with, listen to and absorb in a manner perfect for that specific medium. Crucially, with a concept that’s not overly prescriptive, we’re free to shade in the finer details of the story ourselves. As a result, Sun becomes an engrossing and expansive listen that’s easy to get lost in time and time again.

Rating: 9/10

Sun (physical re-release) is set for release on June 4th via Venerate Industries.

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