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 sou ...

band formed in 1998 in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Washington. 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 subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw ( lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an em ...

, dark ambient, and

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

, as well as for their loud live performances. The band's core members are

Stephen O'Malley Stephen O'Malley (sometimes referred to as SOMA; born July 15, 1974) is an American guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist from Seattle, Washington, who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and expe ...

(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. ...

and Burning Witch) 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 Obses ...

and Engine Kid).

History

Sunn O))) is named after the

Sunn amplifier Sunn (stylized in all lowercase) amplifiers was a brand of musical instrument amplifiers based in Tualatin, Oregon, United States. History In early 1963, the Kingsmen, a band based in Portland, Oregon, became known for their hit version of ...

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 surf ...

, 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, 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 ar ...

. 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,

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 ...

'' 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 a ...

in 2004.

In 2008, Sunn O))) released a live album titled ''

Dømkirke ''Dømkirke'' is a live album by American drone metal band Sunn O))) that was recorded at Bergen Cathedral in Bergen, Norway, during the Borealis (festival), Borealis Festival. The album was pressed only on vinyl, but it was later made available ...

'' 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 Jason Ellis may refer to: * Jason Ellis (radio host) (born 1971), Australian radio host and retired skateboarder * Jason Ellis (basketball) Jason Ellis (born December 15, 1982) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played five ...

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 ha ...

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? Festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands, including Annette Peacock,

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 natura ...

, Julia Holter and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, 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'' and ''

Pyroclasts Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they rem ...

.''

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 T ...

, 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'' and '' White2'', 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 included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'' 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/DCs ''

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's ''

Are You Experienced? ''Are You Experienced'' is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album feature ...

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (2000) *'' Flight of the Behemoth'' (2002) *'' White1'' (2003) *'' White2'' (2004) *'' Black One'' (2005) *'' Monoliths & Dimensions'' (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. Sh ...

'' (2015) *'' Life Metal'' (2019) *''

'' (2019)

Collaborative albums

*''

Altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...

'' (with

Boris Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name *:''See'': List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) * Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after hi ...

) (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