Altar gets a second listen, nineteen years on

Keith Kahn-Harris has written an anniversary essay on Altar, the 2007 Boris and Sunn O))) collaboration, published at 9:00am on 31 October 2026. The piece reconsiders the record nearly two decades after it landed. It is an essay, not a reissue: nothing new from the two bands is attached to it.

The material it works through is the album's own shape. 'Etna' opens Altar at 9 minutes 50 seconds, an extended intro locking into a simple chord sequence before an elongated breakdown into guitar noise. Then 'N.L.T.' goes the other way, ambient sub-bass rumble with no riffology to hold on to. 'The Sinking Belle' carries a vocal from American singer-songwriter Jesse Sykes.

The record has one live document attached to it. In December 2007, Boris and Sunn O))) performed Altar at London's The Forum, opening with 'The Sinking Belle' and following with 'Etna'. 'N.L.T.' did not make the set. John Doran, on a podcast, called that quiet opening a "power move", which is the argument the essay picks up.

Nothing further is announced by either band around the anniversary.