Pilgrimage

Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius of Om continue to explore the intersection of sludgy metal riffage and more meditative drones on their 2007 album, PILGRIMAGE. Over the course of four doom-laden tracks, Om search for that precise place where heavy music emerges as a vehicle for a deeper state of consciousness. That said, Cisneros and Hakius are certainly in no hurry to reach their spiritual destination, as evidenced by the slowly unfurling, moody wanderings of the album's opener. And even when the duo does open up and start to bash a bit further down the road ("Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead," "Bhima's Theme"), the moments play as stopovers on what is ultimately a longer journey into oblivion. When the album quietly returns full circle to where in began, the sense of completion is truly transcendent.