ALL HAIL LIFE METAL

WATCH THE LIFE METAL VIDEO TRAILER VIA THE QUIETUS

SUNN O))) are pleased to present Life Metal, their first new studio album in four years, due for release on Southern Lord in April 2019. The album will be supported by their first European tour since 2016, including their first ever French tour – dates and details below.

At the very beginning of 2018 SUNN O))) co-founders Stephen O’Malley & Greg Anderson set out on a path toward a new album production. They were both determined to create new music and a new method of working in the studio, without forgetting the long and proud history of production and studio accomplishments forged during their first two decades of existence (and the members’ own musical experiences out of the band’s). One long term goal was completely clear: to record Sunn O))) with Steve Albini in his Electrical Audio studio. Steve took the call, said “Sure, this will be fun. I have no idea what is going to happen.”

Greg and Stephen gathered twice that spring for writing, conceptualising and riff woodshedding in the very building where the band was formed: Downtown Rehearsal in Los Angeles. Sonic cosmoses, flashes of abstract colour (synthetic and objective) and themes emerged from the mastered depths of saturation and circuits between the two players and their mountains of gear. Themes developed in terms of brightness and energy, while visionary cues pointed toward subconscious areas of practice and the pair realised they were exploring other zones of consciousness via sound/time and sound/energy manipulation. In early summer a pre-production session with full backline, as a trio with T.O.S. on Moog, was recorded at Dave Grohl’s 606 studios, Northridge, California.

In July 2018 SUNN O))) spent just over two weeks in Chicago at Electrical Audio (Studio A) with Steve Albini at the helm. The results are astounding: there is breadth and luminosity of colour, it sounds vast. The sessions were impeccably recorded, authentically represented and completely accurate. The spectrum cracked the firmament open in clarity. An all analogue technique was used, they recorded and mixed on tape, providing a creative gateway for SUNN O))) to evolve their production methods into stronger, confident, performance based and a more logical executive process. The album was mastered and lacquers cut from tape in October by SUNN O))) ally Matt Colton at Alchemy in London. The LP version is a AAA album, recorded and mixed on tape via a completely analogue production, from the input of the band’s amplifiers and the air coming off the speakers in front of the microphones to needle touching the pressed vinyl on your turntable.

Continuing one of the main currents of the SUNN O))) concept, depth of exploration within collaboration, brought forth Hildur Guðnadóttir to the Sunn O))) constellation. Hildur is a sometime live collaborator of Sunn O))) and a renowned film music composer, former member of the bands Múm, Pan Sonic and Angel. She was a long time collaborator with the composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (RIP). Hildur lent her incredible attitude, as well as her voice, breath and electric cello, and the enigmatic haldorophone to the proceedings, culminating in the epic composition/concerto “Novæ”. The cosmos clearly expands. 

Tim Midyett, a close friend of Greg and Stephen since the Seattle days of the early 90s (and member of Silkworm, Bottomless Pit and Mint Mile), joined in a foundational role tying earth to sound with wicked performances on aluminium neck bass and baritone guitars: instruments he helped pioneer playing back in the 90s (alongside Steve and Shellac of course). Dark matter is reality. 

Prolific new music composer Anthony Pateras arranged and recorded an incredible contribution of pipe organ for a piece titled “Troubled Air” (titled after an essay by author Aliza Shvarts, who also penned the liner notes for Sunn O)))’s Kannon) at Schlosskappelle, Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart. String theory of space.

The resulting album is titled Life Metal. It is fully realised and completely real. The record was produced by the core of Stephen & Greg & arranged by the greater constellation Sunn O))). Paintings by visual artist Samantha Keely Smith graciously adorn the sleeve and provide a perfect suitable mask to the proceedings. They collide ideas of 19th century romanticism & late 20th abstract expressionism (mysticism) with Sunn O)))’s approach to metal (via reference points of Arbo, Turner, Delville, Richter, Turrel, Wou-Ki). Photographer Ronald Dick shot them in baths of light colour representing depth of sound pressure in the work.

SUNN O)))
Life Metal
(sunn300, Southern Lord)

1. Between Sleipnir’s Breaths
2. Troubled Air
3. Aurora
4. Novae

There is a second more meditative LP titled Pyroclasts, also recorded by Steve Albini in parallel, and which will be revealed in the autumn 2019 (more later) with all music performed by Stephen, Greg, T.O.S., Tim Midyett, and Hildur Guðnadóttir.

SUNN O))) are touring March (EU/France), April (USA), September (USA), October (UK & Europe). They are working toward some special events in London and other cities.

SUNN O))) LET THERE BE DRONE (MULTIPLE GAINS STAGES)
March 2019 Europe part 1

Thu 28/02/2019 DE Frankfurt Mousonturm
Fri 01/03/2019 AT Graz Elevate festival/Orpheum ° ~
Sat 02/03/2019 CZ Prague Divadlo Archa °
Sun 03/03/2019 DE Hamburg Kampnagel – K6 °
Mon 04/03/2019 NL Amsterdam Paradiso °
Wed 06/03/2019 FR Lyon L’Epicerie Moderne ÷
Thu 07/03/2019 FR Nancy L’Autre Canal ÷
Fri 08/03/2019 FR Dijon La Vapeur ÷
Sat 09/03/2019 FR Rouen QuasaRites Day/Le 106
Mon 11/03/2019 FR Tours Le Temps Machine §
Tue 12/03/2019 FR Nantes Stereolux §
Wed 13/03/2019 FR La Rochelle La Sirene §
Thu 14/03/2019 FR Bordeaux Le Rocher de Palmer §

Supports :
° Puce Mary https://puce-mary.bandcamp.com
÷ Golem Mecanique https://golemecanique.bandcamp.com
§ France https://standard-in-fi.bandcamp.com
~ Robin Fox presents Single Origin

SUNN O))) LET THERE BE DRONE (MULTIPLE GAINS STAGES)
April 2019 USA part 1

Wed 17/04/2019 Cleveland, OH The Agora Theatre
Thu 18/04/2019 Detroit, MI Masonic Temple
Fri 19/04/2019 Chicago, IL Rockefeller Chapel
Sat 20/04/2019 Pelham, TN The Caverns
Wed 24/04/2019 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
Thu 25/04/2019 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel
Fri 26/04/2019 New Haven, CT College Street Music Hall
Sun 28/04/2019 Washington, DC The Howard Theatre

Support : Papa M

SUNN O)))’s website/webstore sunn.southernlord.com
SUNN O)))’s album oeuvres online sunn.bandcamp.com
SUNN O)))’s live recordings online sunn-live.bandcamp.com

Tours produced by Ideologic Organ Music
SUNN O)))’s booking in EU by Odyssey / Vincent Royers
SUNN O)))’s booking in USA by UTA / David Strunk

SUNN O)))’s recordings are released by Southern Lord Recordings www.southernlord.com
www.southernlordeurope.com

SUNN O))) announces their first tour of 2019.

LET THERE BE DRONE (MULTIPLE GAINS STAGES)

March 2019 Europe

Thu 02/28/2019 DE Frankfurt Mousonturm

Fri 03/01/2019 AT GrazElevate festival/Orpheum ° ~

Sat 03/02/2019 CZ Prague Divadlo Archa °

Sun 03/03/2019 DE Hamburg Kampnagel – K6 °

Mon 03/04/2019 NL Amsterdam Paradiso °

Wed 03/06/2019 FR Lyon L’Epicerie Moderne ÷ 

Thu 03/07/2019 FR Nancy L’Autre Canal ÷ 

Fri 03/08/2019 FR Dijon La Vapeur ÷ 

Sat 03/09/2019 FR Rouen QuasaRites Day/Le 106 •

Mon 03/11/2019 FR Tours Le Temps Machine § 

Tue 03/12/2019 FR Nantes Stereolux § 

Wed 03/13/2019 FR La Rochelle La Sirene § 

Thu 03/14/2019 FR Bordeaux Le Rocher de Palmer § 

Supports :

° TBC : Puce Mary https://puce-mary.bandcamp.com

÷ Golem Mecanique https://golemecanique.bandcamp.com

§ France https://standard-in-fi.bandcamp.com

• Linguo Agnota https://linguaignota.bandcamp.com/

~ Robin Fox presents Single Origin

SUNN O)))’s website/webstore sunn.southernlord.com

SUNN O)))’s album oeuvre online sunn O)))’s sunn.bandcamp.com

SUNN O)))’s live recordings online sunn-live.bandcamp.com

Tour produced by Ideologic Organ Music SAS

SUNN O))) booking in EU by Odyssey / Vincent Royers

SUNN O)))’s recordings are released by Southern Lord Recordings www.southernlord.com www.southernlordeurope.com

::::::

English

LET THERE BE DRONE (MULTIPLE GAINS STAGES)

All Hail Life Metal.

Sunn O)))) are pleased to present their first European tour since 2016, and the premier tour of their 2019-2020 season. Including their first ever French tour (hors Paris), returning to old haunt Kampnagel in Hamburg, mythical Paradiso in Amsterdam, as well as headlining Elevate festival in Graz, and Divadlo Archa Prague.

Formed in March 1998 Sunn O))) have been challenging the ways we think about music in the twenty years since. A synthesis of diverse: drone, metal, minimalism/maximalism verging on the edge of pure sonic ecstasy, meditation and trance through the power, beauty and colour of sound pressure emanating from their legendary Sunn O))) backline and their earth shaking tectonic compositions of existence, dedicated to the mysteries of life and the cosmos. 

O))) has two core members : Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, supported by a tribe of collaborators. From 1999’s The Grimmrobe Demos to 2018’s Downtown LA Rehearsal/Rifftape; from their now classic albums Black One (2006), Monoliths & Dimensions (2009), Soused (2014) & Kannon (2015) to their forthcoming to-be-revealed-but-recently-completed two 2019 album epics, founders Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson have forged paths and connections between the worlds of Metal, contemporary art, drone, new music, jazz and minimalism with startling results while remaining true to the eternal principles of volume, density, elasticity of time, blossoming of saturation viable only to the disciples and fetishists of electric guitar, synthesis, multiple gain stages and some of history’s greatest pure valve amplification. 

The current concert line-up extends around power trio of Stephen O’Malley (Guitar), Greg Anderson (Guitar), and their valve guru and long time collaborator Tos Nieuwenhuizen (Moog), aside selected special guests. Together they relentlessly pursue their exploration and elaboration of Sunn O)))’s legendary experiments with the physicality of sound in instrumental based live performances with remarkable events at some of their favourite venues, as well as concerts in singular events and spaces such as Italy’s impressive cultural complex Labrinto Della Masone, Germany’s Ruhrtriennale Festival of Arts, Royal Festival Hall & The Barbican in London, Bergen’s Dømkirke and Manchester International Festival being a few emblematic examples. 

Rejoin them in their glorious pursuit of the monumental heaviness. 

-Etienne Ni Mhaille, 2018 

::::::

Français

LA TRAVERSÉE DU DRONE (ÉTAGES DE GAINS MULTIPLES)

Ave Life Metal!

Sunn O))))) a le plaisir de présenter sa première tournée européenne depuis 2016, et la première étape de sa saison 2019 dont sa toute première tournée française (hors Paris), son retour au Kampnagel de Hambourg, au mythique Paradiso d’Amsterdam, et en tête d’affiche des festivals Elevate à Graz et Divadlo Archa à Prague.

Formé en mars 1998, Sunn O)))) remet en question depuis 20 ans la façon dont la musique est conçue. Une synthèse de sonorités diverses : le drone, le métal, le minimalisme/maximalisme sur la lame de l’extase sonore pure, de la méditation et de la transe à travers la puissance, la beauté et la couleur de la pression sonore qui sort de leur légendaire rangée arrière d’amplis et d’enceintes Sunn O))) et leurs compositions tectoniques, faisant trembler la terre, dédiées aux mystères de la vie et du cosmos.

O)))) compte deux membres principaux : Stephen O’Malley et Greg Anderson, accompagnés par une tribu de collaborateurs. Des Grimmrobe Demos en 1999 à Downtown LA Rehearsal/Rifftape en 2018; de leurs albums désormais classiques Black One (2006), Monoliths & Dimensions (2009), Soused (2014) & Kannon (2015) jusqu’à leurs deux albums à paraître en 2019, bien qu’ils n’aient pas encore été dévoilés, les deux membres fondateurs, Stephen O’Malley et Greg Anderson ont fait la jonction et établi de nouvelles passerelles entres le Métal, l’Art Contemporain, le Drone, la Musique Contemporaine, le Jazz et le Minimalisme avec des résultats surprenants, tout en restant fidèles à leurs éternels principes de volume, de densité et de masse sonore, d’élasticité du temps, d’émergence d’une saturation uniquement viable pour les disciples et fétichistes de guitare électrique, de synthèse, d’étages à gains multiples et parmi les meilleurs systèmes de pure amplification à valve de l’histoire. 

La formation actuelle se déploie autour du trio Stephen O’Malley (Guitare), Greg Anderson (Guitare), et de leur gourou des valves et collaborateur de longue date Tos Nieuwenhuizen (Moog), entourés de leurs invités. Ensemble, ils poursuivent sans relâche l’exploration et l’élaboration de Sunn O)))), les expériences légendaires qu’ils mènent sur la physicalité du son à travers des lives dans leurs salles préférées, mais aussi des performances dans des espaces culturels singuliers comme le complexe culturel italien Labrinto della Masone, le Ruhrtriennale Festival of Arts en Allemagne, le Royal Festival Hall et le Barbican à Londres, Domkirke à Bergen et le Manchester International Festival entre autres exemples emblématiques. 

Venez vous joindre à eux dans cette quête flamboyante du son monumental.

-Etienne Ni Mhaille, 2018 . Traduction : Valérie Vivancos

Tickets for Sunn O))) live 18th November at the Echoplex, Los Angeles as part of The Power Of The Riff festival 2018 (Southern Lord Recordings & Sunn O))) 20th anniversary) are on sale, and are already at 80% tickets sold.

Lasts tickets here :
https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1762631

This will be a very special celebration and we would be honored if you are able to attend.
This will also be our only California show for 2018 & our last show of 2018.

Also on the bill :
Darkest Hour
Xibalba
Xasthur

Several more killer bands to be announced.

Thank you for your interest and support in our music

O)))

Hail to you all, our great fans!

In 2018 Sunn O))) is celebrating surviving 20 years; the band was formed in March 1998 by Greg Anderson & Stephen O’Malley in a practice space in Downtown Los Angeles after reuniting a few years following the Burning Witch story (and a couple of practices and one cancelled show in 1996 in Seattle of a proto-O))) group called Mars).

We share the 20th anniversary with our house Southern Lord Recordings which was also formed in 1998! We are working on preparing several releases for 2018 in celebration. Some reissues, concerts and some brand new and never released materials to be announced in the coming weeks and months. 

So, hey, please check our FB or IG and let us know your favourite O))) moment, live or on record, or otherwise, and/or your hidden or not hidden O))) dream/desire. HAIL SABBATH

SUNN O))) OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
SUNN O))) OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM PAGE

Hail to all of our great fans! We are proud to announce…

SUNN O))) NE USA, SE Canada March 2017 TOUR

March/12/2017 9:30 Club – Washington, DC w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/13/2017 The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/14/2017 Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Toronto, ON w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/15/2017 Société des arts technologiques [SAT] – Montreal, QC w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/16/2017 Coolidge Corner Info – Boston, MA w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/17/2017 Knockdown Center – Brooklyn, NY w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/18/2017 Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA w/ Big ‡ Brave  [tickets]
March/21/2017 Barbican Centre – London, UK @ Convergence Festival w/ Hildur Gudnadóttir  [tickets]

Tickets are on sale from Friday, December 23rd at 10am local time.

PRESS RELEASE

SUNN O))) declare new live actions for 2017, announcing plans of their return to Northeastern USA & Southeast Canada in March. 

The first set of SUNN O))) tour dates for 2017 sees the collective bringing their dense and arrhythmic blend of metal, drone, and minimalist music back to the Northeast USA and Southeastern realms of Canada for a week of performances.

SUNN O)))) will converge in Washington DC on March 12th, following with shows in Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia confirmed through March 18th.

SUNN O))) support on all USA/Canada shows will be provided by Southern Lord Recordings labelmates, Montreal-based Big ‡ Brave, whom have also joined on their 2016 tours of the Southwest, Southeast and Midwest states and Europe. 

This follows the recent announcement of SUNN O)))’s appearance at London’s massive performing arts venue, Barbican Centre, as part of this year’s Convergence Festival on March 21st. Support for the performance will come from Icelandic singer and cellist, Hildur Gudnadóttir, who has played and recorded with bands such as Pansonic, Throbbing Gristle, and Múm. Guðnadóttir also wrote the arrangements for the Wildbirds & Peacedrums session as part of the Barbican’s Nils Frahm curated Possibly Colliding marathon weekend in July 2016

(photo Estelle Hanania 2015)

SUNN O))) Hail our great fans. 

As the Solstice season approaches, Sunn O))) thank all of you for your great support throughout 2016. 

We offer you an exclusive track for you to download for free (and of course stream), until the end of 2016. 

Just here : https://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/–2

You will have to go through the “checkout” portion but the price is set at $0 (name your own price). It’s free.

‘青木ヶ原 // 樹海’ (aka Aokigahara // Jukai) was released on a limited edition white flexi 7″ along with some copies of SUNN O)))’s “KANNON” (2015) album. It features Attila Csihar, The Lord, SOMA, Tad, Randall Dunn, Brad Mowen

Chainsaws and motorcycles through Ampeg stacks.
We would just ask you not to upload this track to any other social media site.

Additionally, you can take 35% off everything discount code from our entire catalogue on Bandcamp, until the end of 2016. 

Just type: solstice2016 into the discount code field at checkout.

sunn.bandcamp.com
sunn-live.bandcamp.com

https://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/–2

(press release from festival)

SUNN O)))
+ Hildur Guðnadóttir 
Tuesday 21 March 2017 / Barbican Hall / 20:00 
Tickets £22.50 – 27.50 plus booking fee
 
American drone metal masters Sunn O))) will make their Barbican debut next March, bringing their arrhythmic blend of extreme metal, drone, ambient, noise and minimalistic  music to the Centre as part of the Convergence Festival. Their music can be described as very slow, with distorted guitars, and the emphasis is on texture rather than rhythm. Sunn O))) was formed by core members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson in 1998 and the band’s name is a reference to the Sunn amplifier brand. Over the years they have worked with a varying cast of collaborators including Attila Csihar, Ulver, Nurse With Wound,  Julian Cope, Scott Walker and Oren Ambarchi to name but a few. 
 
Support comes from classically trained Icelandic singer and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir who has played and recorded with bands such as Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle and Múm, as well as her solo project Lost in Hildurness and has previously toured with Animal Collective and Sunn O))). Guðnadóttir also wrote the arrangements for the Wildbirds & Peacedrums session as part of the Barbican’s Nils Frahm curated marathon weekend Possibly Colliding in July 2016. 
 
Produced by the Barbican in association with Convergence  
On sale to Barbican Members on Thursday 1 December   

Tickets on general sale on Friday 2 December 

Find out more www.convergence-london.com/2017/event/sunn-o-hildur-gudnadottir

BLACK FRIDAY.

In honour of all things black we love (People, Metal, Capitalism, Weddings, Witchery, Crucifixion, Emperors) this friday the 25th November everything is 30% off normal price at the SUNN O))) online store.

Discount will be automatically applied on the shopping cart to all orders placed Pacific Standard Time for the 24 hours on 25th of November.

Look here : https://sunn.southernlord.com/store

The Parma promoter said this “There will be a Taiko performance by Fudenji zen temple and a video installation by N03! (one of the best Italian video production studio) in the entry court before your show. The taiko performance at 21.00 and the video installation at 21.30.

The name of the video installation is “Finis Mundi”, which is the title of a book edited years ago by the owner of the Labyrinth, Franco Maria Ricci: http://www.ina.fr/video/CPC98002672

The book, written by Jorge Louis Borges, who was the director of Franco Maria Ricci publishing house, features illustrations by English artist John Martin (the illustration you can see in the poster is by John Martin).

The Labyrinth is not a concert venue, it’s a cultural complex. The creator and owner, Franco Maria Ricci loves to link the Labyrinth activities to his literary production. He is old now, but he is a great man of culture. He / his publishing house is very popular in France because in the 70s he reissued the Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie. He is Commander of the Ordre des arts et des lettres.

In this case – since this year is the 30th anniversary of the death of Jorge Louis Borges – he just wanted to connect your show to this book curated and written by the Argentinian writer.”

SUNN O))) shall be returning in August and September for a series of shows across Scandinavia and central Europe, including four shows in Germany and taking in some incredible and unique settings along the way.

Amidst their 11 day tour, SUNN O))) shall perform in the Labirinto Della Masone, an outdoor maze of impressive and foreboding nature (and the world’s largest), and they have also been invited to perform at the Ruhrtriennale Festival of Arts under the artistic direction of the Dutch director Johan Simons. They will perform in the Turbinenhalle at an old power plant called Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. The theme of the programme is “Seid umschlungen” (be embraced) – a gesture of social, political and geographical embracement.   

The full listings are below, including imminent forthcoming North American tour dates, and European shows on the horizon, which include the classic Paradiso in Amsterdam – a perennial O))) favourite, the unique Vooruit in Ghent, culminating with a performance at this year’s Hellfest, where fans can see SUNN O))), Earth, Melvins and Magma all in one stage in one day. Hellfest 2016 is headlined by our gods Black Sabbath.     

SUNN O))) LIVE DATES:NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:
06/06/2016 The Ready Room – St. Louis, MO 
07/06/2016 Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
08/06/2016 Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
09/06/2016 El Club – Detroit, MI 
10/06/2016 Hearn Generating Station – Toronto, ON @ Unsound Toronto at Luminato Festival 
11/06/2016 Theatre Fairmount – Montreal, QC @ Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival

INCOMING EUROPEAN SHOWS:
14/06/2016 – NL, Paradiso – Amsterdam
15/06/2016 – BE, Vooruit – Ghent
17/06/2016 – FR, Hellfest – Clisson

NEWLY ANNOUNCED SUMMER SHOWS:
27/08/2016 – FIN, Helsinki – Tavastia
29/08/2016 – SE, Stockholm – En Arena
31/08/2016 – DE, Leipzig – Conne Island
01/09/2016 – DE, Munich – Feierwerk, Hansa 39
02/09/2016 – DE, Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
03/09/2016 – DE, Bochum – Turbinenhalle (Ruhrtriennale)
05/09/2016 – AT, Vienna – Arena
06/09/2016 – HUN, Budapest – A38
07/09/2016 – SL, Ljubljana – Kino Siska
09/09/2016 – IT, Parma – Labirinto Della Masone
10/09/2016 – CH, Vevey – Rocking Chair  

For any questions regarding these live shows, Kannon or general queries about SUNN O))) please do not hesitate to get in touch (lauren@rarelyunable.com)   http://www.sunn-live.bandcamp.com
https://sunn.southernlord.com
https://sunn.bandcamp.com
https://www.southernlord.com  

(artwork by Chris Moyen)