Record Store Day: Southern Lord Will Release Sunn O)))/Boris ‘Altar’

The RSD-exclusive deluxe double LP’s will be available on April 22, 2023.

Southern Lord continues its prolific output with a exciting new release for Record Store Day: 2006’s monolith Altar from Sunn O))) + Boris.

Out of print for over 15 years, Altar will finally return on double LP. The album is a collaboration between experimental music groups Boris and Sunn O))), originally released on October 31, 2006 through Southern Lord Records. In addition to major players Sunn O))) and Boris, Altar also boasts an extensive roster of guest musicians/collaborators such as Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Joe Preston (Earth, Thrones, Melvins, High on Fire), Phil Wandscher and Jesse Sykes (both of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter) as well as long time Sunn O))) collaborators TOS Nieuwenhuizen and Rex Ritter.

Greg Anderson comments, “We had a lot of fun making Altar— we transcended all barriers and boundaries to create our own sonic language that still strongly resonates. It was incredibly adventurous for us at that point in time. We played in the moment without a preconceived direction then arrived at a beautifully heavy place together.” He continues, “Altar is a monumental documentation of some early experiments with collaboration. We learned a lot from working with Boris and engineer/producer: Randall Dunn as well as Bill Herzog, Jesse Sykes, Joe Preston etc. We definitely carried those ideas and spirit into recordings that followed Altar.”

Boris and Sunn O))) continue to circle each other with reverence; most recently, Boris’s Wata and Takeshi did a session with Sunn O)))’s “Life Pedal” which you can watch now courtesy of EarthQuaker Devices.

Watch / share the Boris Life Pedal session on YouTube.


Sunn O))) + Boris, Altar track listing:

  1. Etna
  2. N.L.T.
  3. The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)
  4. Akuma No Kuma
  5. Fried Eagle Mind
  6. Blood Swamp
Sunn O))) + Boris, Altar cover art