Scottish multi-instrumentalist Snow is a true sonic chameleon. Having spent decades touring Europe as a classical percussionist, his portfolio spans everything from baroque orchestral performances to the abrasive textures of Plastic Noose and Joby Longyin. His latest venture, Abstract Absorption, pivots away from the drum kit towards minimalist guitar experimentation.
The project’s bristling 34-minute debut single, ‘Ad Majorem Sathanae Gloriam’, swaps traditional rhythmic precision for monolithic, slow-burning drone. Recorded live in a Scottish church with absolutely no post-production editing, the track serves as an unvarnished exploration of spatial acoustics and psychological endurance.
The release doubles as a conceptual milestone. The title and arrival date deliberately mark the twentieth anniversary of Gorgoroth’s landmark black metal album of the same name. However, if you’re expecting blast beats and tremolo picking, you will find a completely different beast here. Throughout the release, Snow trades black metal's typical fury for the overwhelming, physical weight of drone doom.
“Abstract Absorption has been 20 years in the making,” Snow shares. “It has been a concept I’ve been searching for a way to express, and it’s strange how life throws challenges at you, and if you react in certain ways, these challenges can often become opportunities.”
Those challenges were physical. Chronic health struggles with his feet and upper body, brought on by years of heavy drumming, forced Snow to put down the sticks. “I trained as a classical musician on timpani and percussion and spent decades performing, recording and touring around the world, but since the pandemic I started to have health issues specifically with my feet and my upper body. With my feet it’s mainly genetic, but with my upper body it has more to do with years of overuse...drummers eh!?” He subsequently channelled his energy into the guitar, an instrument he had played since his school days.
The resulting sound owes an undeniable debt to American drone metal pioneers. “It’s impossible to talk about Abstract Absorption’s sound without giving a heavy nod to the band Sunn o))),” Snow admits. “It was 20 years ago that I saw them live in London. A Sunn o))) concert is a musical and physical sensation overload, which I would encourage everyone to experience at least once in life.”
While the wall-of-noise approach mimics his influences, Snow anchors the piece in the natural reverb of holy architecture. “There is a strong sonic similarity to Abstract Absorption and Sunn o))), but as with all my projects I draw on many influences and with Abstract Absorption I am trying to create something new in places with special acoustic properties such as churches, cathedrals and other large indoor spaces.”
The track demands deep listening as it unfolds in massive, repeating waves. The guitar tone cuts through the sacred atmosphere like a chainsaw, lashing out in jagged, improvised motions. Because it is completely unedited, the piece occasionally meanders during its middle stretch, testing the patience of those uninitiated in the drone genre. Yet, the relationship between the feedback and the stone walls creates an undeniably hypnotic environment.
It is a bold, challenging redirection from an artist refusing to let physical limitations quiet his creative voice. Peer into Snow's bleak sonic landscape by tracking his updates across Bandcamp, or join him on YouTube.
