Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American

experimental metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...

band formed in 1998 in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

, dark ambient, and

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, as well as for their loud live performances. The band's core members are Stephen O'Malley (also of

Khanate A khaganate or khanate was a polity ruled by a khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. That political territory was typically found on the Eurasian Steppe and could be equivalent in status to tribal chiefdom, principality, kingdom or empire. Mong ...

and

Burning Witch Burning Witch was an American doom metal band from Seattle, Washington, active between 1995 and 1998. Aside from EPs and split releases, the band released a compilation album called '' Crippled Lucifer'', which had songs of their early EPs. Hi ...

) and Greg Anderson (of

Goatsnake Goatsnake is an American stoner/ doom metal band from Los Angeles, California. They have released three studio albums, the first being 1999's '' Goatsnake Vol. 1''. Biography Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obsess ...

and Engine Kid).

History

Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn amplifier brand, the logo of which includes a circle next to the "sunn" banner with waves heading off to the right. In interviews, Stephen O'Malley stated that the band's moniker was also chosen as a play on the name

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, a band widely regarded as pioneers of drone metal throughout the 1990s. Before the band members moved to Los Angeles, they briefly used the moniker Mars. The band's style is characterized by slow tempos, distorted guitars, lack of rhythm and melody, and alternative tunings. The guitars are notable for their low register, frequently utilizing tunings as low as dropped A. Additionally, the band is known for using resonant feedback to create monolithic soundscapes and eerie atmospheres. Percussion is rarely incorporated, with a lack of any discernible beat. When performing live, the band wears

robes A robe is a loose-fitting outer garment. Unlike garments described as capes or cloaks, robes usually have sleeves. The English word ''robe'' derives from Middle English ''robe'' ("garment"), borrowed from Old French ''robe'' ("booty, spoil ...

, fills the air with fog, and plays at a high volume. The band releases the majority of its music through the label it founded in 1998,

Southern Lord Records Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to include a ...

. However, the band initially released ''

ØØ Void ''ØØ Void'' (pronounced in interviews as "double-O void") is the first studio album by Sunn O))). The album was recorded on 24 track 2" tape at Grandmaster Studios in Hollywood, a large step forward in production values from the band's demo r ...

'' (its second album) on multiple labels, including

Rise Above Records Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian (of the band Cathedral and formerly of Napalm Death). Founding Lee Dorrian started Rise Above Records in 1988 without the intention of the label being an ongoi ...

Hydra Head Records Hydra Head Records was an independent record label that specializes in extreme metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner (the frontman of Isis) in 1993. It had another imprint, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialized in experiment ...

, and Dirter Productions (which pressed it as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

on vinyl). Additionally, the original pressing of ''

The Grimmrobe Demos ''The Grimmrobe Demos'' is Sunn O)))'s first recorded album and is the most direct representation of its self-proclaimed Earth-worship. It was originally limited to 500 copies by Hydra Head Records but, in 2005, Southern Lord Records reissued i ...

'' was released by

. It was later issued as a double

picture An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

record set by Outlaw Recordings and finally reissued by

Southern Lord Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to include art ...

in 2004.

In 2008, Sunn O))) released a live album titled '' Dømkirke'' and also announced a mini-tour consisting of four concerts to commemorate the group's 10th anniversary, which coincided with the release of ''The Grimmrobe Demos''. On December 17, 2009, the song "Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)" from the CD ''Monoliths & Dimensions'' was named the Heaviest Song of All-Time by Jason Ellis on ''The Jason Ellis Show'' on Sirius/XM. Greg Anderson then appeared on ''The Jason Ellis Show'' on January 12, 2010. Hungarian-born Attila Csihar ( Mayhem) has performed live with the band as their primary vocalist since 2003. Sunn O))) released a collaboration album with

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

titled '' Terrestrials'' in February 2014: in October 2014, the band released the album '' Soused'', a collaboration with singer-songwriter Scott Walker. In November 2015, Sunn O))) presented a four-day program at

Le Guess Who? Le Guess Who? is a Dutch music festival featuring different music genres: from avant-garde, jazz, hip hop, electronic, experimental, noise rock, indie rock, world music and others. The festival, founded by Bob van Heur and Johan Gijsen, has ...

Festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands, including

Annette Peacock Annette Peacock is an American composer, musician, songwriter, producer, and arranger. She is a pioneer in electronic music who combined her voice with one of the first Moog synthesizers in the late 1960s. Biography Annette Peacock was writing ...

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

Julia Holter Julia Shammas Holter (born December 18, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, artist and academic, based in Los Angeles. Following three independent album productions, Holter released ''Tragedy'' as her first official ...

and

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are an English rock band formed by singer Arthur Brown in 1967. The original band included Vincent Crane ( Hammond organ and piano), Drachen Theaker (drums), and Nick Greenwood (bass). This early incarnation w ...

, and Sunn O))) itself. The band worked with producer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

on two albums, ''

Life Metal ''Life Metal'' is the eighth studio album by drone metal band Sunn O))). Through Southern Lord Records, the album received a limited release for Record Store Day on April 13, 2019, and a wide release two weeks later on April 26. ''Life Metal'' ...

'' and '' Pyroclasts.''

Musical style

Sunn O)))'s musical style has been described as

drone metal Drone metal or drone doom is a style of heavy metal that melds the slow tempos and heaviness of doom metal with the long-duration tones of drone music. Drone metal is sometimes associated with post-metal or experimental metal. Characteristics ...

, and dark ambient. Sunn O))) experiments with a variety of styles and sounds, progressing beyond the primarily guitar and bass style of ''

'' and ''

''. On ''

White1 ''White1'' is the third album by Sunn O))), released in 2003. It was the most significant departure from their original style to date. Each track was experimental in its own way, with Julian Cope reciting poetry for half of "My Wall", Norwegi ...

'' and ''

White2 ''White2'' is the fourth album by Sunn O))).White2
discogs.com article. Retrieved on 2014-01-21. It was recorded ...

'', the band noticeably expanded on conceptualization by inviting several guests, resulting in everything from quiet meditative ambient sounds ("A Shaving of the Horn that Speared You" from ''White1'') to a bizarre bass experiment track ("bassAliens" from ''White2''). '' Black One'' continued in this direction, utilizing far more electronics, synthesizers, and other instrumentation than earlier Sunn O))) material, yet still marking a significant return to their traditional sound. Sunn O))) (7180409975)

Sunn O))) is widely regarded as leaders in the genre, including by ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...

'' of May 28, 2006, when the band was written up in an article called "Heady Metal" by John Wray. Sunn O))) also appeared in the August 2007 issue of '' Q'' magazine (the "loud issue"), with its album ''White1'' being named the 18th-loudest album of all time, just above

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

s ''

Back in Black ''Back in Black'' is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album to feature lead singer Brian Johnson, following the death ...

'' and below

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

's '' Are You Experienced?''

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2000) *''

Flight of the Behemoth ''Flight of the Behemoth'' (also known as ''3: Flight of the Behemoth'') is the second album by Sunn O))). Background and release The band collaborated with the Japanese noise artist Merzbow, who mixed tracks 3 and 4, and a recording of the ...

'' (2002) *''

'' (2003) *''

White2 ''White2'' is the fourth album by Sunn O))).White2
discogs.com article. Retrieved on 2014-01-21. It was recorded ...

'' (2004) *'' Black One'' (2005) *''

Monoliths & Dimensions ''Monoliths & Dimensions'' is the sixth studio album by drone metal band Sunn O))). The album was created and recorded over a period of two years and features the collaborations of composer Eyvind Kang, Australian guitar player Oren Ambarchi, Hun ...

'' (2009) *''

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

'' (2015) *''

'' (2019) *'' Pyroclasts'' (2019)

Collaborative albums

*''

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

'' (with Boris) (2006) *'' Terrestrials'' (with

) (2014) *'' Soused'' (with Scott Walker) (2014)

References

External links

*
Southern Lord Records

Stephen O'Malley official site
* {{Authority control American avant-garde metal musical groups Drone metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Washington (state) 1998 establishments in Washington (state) Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups from Seattle Southern Lord Records artists 4AD artists American musical duos Heavy metal duos