Kon Hex- Magnetic Sun

Kon Hex is drone/doom band from Canada. The project consists of one sole member and is completely instrumental. Since the creation of Kon Hex in 2010 there has been an EP and a full-length released. Magnetic Sun makes up the second full-length, it contains four tracks and clocks in at well over an hour. The intro even goes longer than seven minutes, so for those of you seeking a short listen, look elsewhere. Those in search of an album filled with downtrodden drone will get exactly what they expect.

Magnetic Sun has a very solid flow throughout it's playtime. All four tracks almost have to be listened to together to be fully appreciated. For the most part the music is very gloomy and dismal. The sound is huge and when the guitar comes into play it rings on for long periods of time with power. The album really doesn't tend to focus too much on riffs or a solid song structure but rather on creating a strong atmosphere. While the atmosphere is achieved throughout, at times things drag on too long to hold the listeners interest. This doesn't occur often enough to prevent Magnetic Sun from being an enjoyable listen but it does prove to be detrimental in some ways to the overall replay value.

Magnetic Sun's greatest moment is the intro. It is a great way to start off this album. It is almost reminiscent of a Jorg Buttergereit soundtrack (Schramm, Nekromantik, etc). It sets the perfect attitude for this release and is one of those pieces that is the perfect soundtrack for sitting in a dark room in complete solitude. Sadly, the intro sets the bar high and Kon Hex struggles a bit to recreate the atmosphere quite like they did with it. The second track "The Uncharted Notice" comes close with its booming, monumental guitar sound, which truly gives off an almost cataclysmic vibe. While these two tracks work relatively well the other songs don't do quite as well. "In the Seas of Darkness" has its moments but "MSun" is far too drawn out to be very effective. The tracks length could have easily been cut in half and then some, the forty minute length just doesn't seem justified.

Overall fans of drone should find some enjoyment within Magnetic Sun but it is by no means groundbreaking. Some of the ideas on this release stick and some of them don't. The flow of the album and the dreary atmosphere definitely work on a grand scale but there are plenty of things that need to be tweaked in Kon Hex's sound before they can stand out from countless other drone releases. While Magnetic Sun is by no means bad it also doesn't have a great amount of content that will have people coming back for more. If you just can't get enough drone then Kon Hex may be worth a listen for you, but if you want something that demands your attention this might not be what you want.