There is so much behind this record that it can be a bit overwhelming to digest. Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress is the culmination of hundreds of live shows and years of hard earned blood, sweat and tears. Fans will be familiar with the material on this record if they've been to live shows or caught pieces of what's been dubbed "Behemoth" on Youtube. It's a sprawling piece, one that would take Godspeed! You Black Emperor 35 or 40 minutes to get through. For their part, the band just called it "Big 'Un" on their setlists. A fitting title if there ever was one. You could say it's a road tested song, at times it would be the only thing they'd play in a live set. So we should be thankful that this one has been put through it's paces. For it's far from a live jam that has been committed to tape. The piece is intently focused and dynamic filled, a sprawling journey that knows the precise time to reach its climax. The beginning is pure drone and atmospherics, a brooding stew that belies the explosiveness that is to come. There is plenty of tension to be built up over this first act. But it is all released once the needle is dropped on side B. The second half of the album tracks a similar path, but its conclusion is the catharsis that you have been awaiting. Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress is everything that Godspeed! is condensed into one piece of art.

• 180 gram pressing
• includes download
• music label: Constellation 2015

reviewed by Hank Ohs 04/2015