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Biography

Om's journey reached a crossroads in the late 2010s when the duo of Al Cisneros and Emil Amos decided to pursue separate paths, though they never officially announced a permanent dissolution. Their final collaborative works continued to push the boundaries of what drone and doom metal could achieve, leaving behind a legacy that would influence countless musicians in the heavy music underground. The band's impact on modern experimental metal cannot be overstated, having created a template for how extreme minimalism could generate maximum spiritual and sonic power.

The seeds of Om's transcendent approach were planted years earlier when bassist Al Cisneros emerged from the ashes of the legendary stoner metal band Sleep in the early 2000s. After Sleep's dissolution following their epic, label-frustrating masterpiece "Dopesmoker," Cisneros found himself searching for a new musical path that could accommodate his deepening interest in Eastern philosophy, meditation, and the transformative power of repetitive musical structures. In 2003, he joined forces with drummer Chris Hakius, also a Sleep alumnus, to form Om in San Francisco.

The duo's approach was revolutionary in its simplicity: Cisneros would play bass through a massive amplifier setup, creating earth-shaking low-end frequencies while chanting mystical lyrics often inspired by Hindu and Buddhist texts, while Hakius provided thunderous, ritualistic drumming that served as both rhythm section and spiritual anchor. Their music existed in the spaces between doom metal, drone, and meditative practice, creating something entirely new in the heavy music landscape.

Om's debut album "Variations on a Theme" arrived in 2005 on Southern Lord Records, immediately establishing them as pioneers of what would become known as "spiritual drone." The album's three lengthy tracks demonstrated their ability to create hypnotic, trance-inducing music from the most minimal elements. This was followed by "Conference of the Birds" in 2006, which took its title from a 12th-century Persian poem and further explored the intersection of heavy music and mystical philosophy.

The band's breakthrough came with 2007's "Pilgrimage," which saw them refining their sound into something even more focused and powerful. The album's centerpiece, "Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead," became an underground anthem, its repetitive bass line and Cisneros's otherworldly vocals creating a genuinely transcendent listening experience. Critics began to take notice of Om's unique ability to make music that was simultaneously crushing and meditative, heavy and enlightening.

A significant shift occurred in 2008 when Chris Hakius left the band to focus on his family life. Rather than dissolve Om, Cisneros recruited drummer Emil Amos from the experimental rock band Grails. Amos brought a different sensibility to the project, incorporating more varied rhythmic approaches and subtle textural elements that expanded Om's sonic palette without compromising their essential vision.

The Cisneros-Amos lineup produced some of Om's most acclaimed work, beginning with 2009's "God Is Good." This album marked a slight evolution in their sound, incorporating more dynamic shifts and melodic development while maintaining their commitment to repetitive, mantra-like structures. The title track became one of their most beloved compositions, demonstrating how they could create genuine beauty within their deliberately constrained framework.

Subsequent albums "Advaitic Songs" (2012) and "At Giza" (2019) continued to explore the possibilities within Om's self-imposed limitations. "Advaitic Songs" was particularly praised for its incorporation of tabla and other Eastern instruments, creating their most explicitly spiritual statement. The album's exploration of Advaita Vedanta philosophy through crushing riffs and hypnotic rhythms represented the full flowering of their artistic vision.

Throughout their career, Om performed at major festivals and venues worldwide, bringing their meditative heavy music to audiences far beyond the typical metal demographic. Their live performances were legendary affairs, often extending well beyond typical concert lengths as the band and audience alike became lost in the repetitive, trance-inducing grooves.

Om's influence extended far beyond their immediate genre, inspiring musicians in fields ranging from ambient music to black metal to explore the possibilities of repetition, minimalism, and spiritual practice within heavy music contexts. Bands like Sunn O))), YOB, and countless others have cited Om as a crucial influence on their approach to creating transcendent music through volume and repetition.

Today, Al Cisneros continues to explore similar territory with his band Sleep, which reformed in the 2010s, while Emil Amos remains active with Grails and other projects. Om's