Life Metal - Sunn O)))

[king_tubby]

Couldn't find the heavy thread, so fuck it, let's start another one.

One track in, we've had screaming horses like out of a western, breathy Icelandic vocals and riffs that make everything on Kannon sound rubbish.

Track two is continuing the massive riffs, nice bit of synth coming in now and all.

I say synth, looking it up there's apparently some dude playing the pipe organ. I bet he is, the dirty old bollocks.

[king_tubby]

Given I'm listening to this on a shitty little portable cd player, it sounds fucking MASSIVE so far.

[king_tubby]

Track 3's turned it down a bit, reminding me of the rumbles on White 1/2 - got another 15 minutes left though, let us see what happens.

[king_tubby]

Yeah, so this is much more like their live sound - just riff walls.

[king_tubby]

Strong start for track 4. Some actual relatively normal speed riff changing, which is nice.

[king_tubby]

So these last two tracks are just Stephen and Greg, riffing it like in the old days. Alibini has knocked this out of the park - everything just sounds meatier than Kannon.

No Attila though. Shame.

[alan nagsworth]

man I just got home from work with a stinking cold thinking "I need some seriously slow ass guitar music to match how the inside of my snot-in-a-cement-mixer head feels right now" and immediately saw this thread, fuckin nice one. Will report back

[another Mr. Lizard]

Got this wonder at the weekend and can only echo king_tubby's praise. 'Soused' was my album of the year on release, and this might just top it. Especially loved the brooding quiet section towards the very end of the final track - not 'calming' in the least, as you're just waiting for Albini to turn everything up to eleven and the guys to come thumping back in as your house collapses. Does this happen? No spoilers from me.

[chveik]

they're beyond self parody now. asmr metal.

[holyzombiejesus]

I was half way through starting a new thread - Bands that are samey to the extent that owning more than one LP feels pointless - but thought it'd turn in to a list thingy so will just post the content here.

I really like the idea of Sunn O))). I like their aesthetic, their records often look beautiful and sometimes, as someone above says, "I need some seriously slow ass guitar music to match how the inside of my ... head feels right now". But... I just listened to a trailer video for their new one and it sounds fucking identical to most of the others that I've heard over the last decade or so. I've got 2 records by them (Monoliths & Dimensions and Dømkirke) but everything else just seems to be rumbling and slow riffs. I know that if you're not particularly in to a band then it's easy to dismiss their stuff as samey but these lot take the piss, don't they?

[king_tubby]

Well I can't help it if you've got cloth ears...nah, just messing, I can understand fully where you're coming from.

Have you tried Black 1 which shows a bit more variety? Not one I come back to much myself, to be honest. Also the collaboration records with Boris, Ulver and Scott Walker all mix it up a bit, I think if you like Monoliths and Dimensions they're all worth checking out too.

[holyzombiejesus]

Cheers. Yeah, I liked the Boris one. In fact, I just checked and I have Altar and must have got rid of M&D. Haven't heard Black 1 but will check out. I quite fancied buying the new one but I just couldn't justify the £30+ cost on something that sounds pretty much the same (to me) as most of their other releases this century. Do people who love the band (or have better ears than me) feel that there is a real difference between releases or am I fucking right as usual? Your description of the first track sounds great but I can't hear those bits in the tiny snippets I've heard so far.

[kalowski]

Well I can't help it if you've got cloth ears...nah, just messing, I can understand fully where you're coming from.

Have you tried Black 1 which shows a bit more variety? Not one I come back to much myself, to be honest. Also the collaboration records with Boris, Ulver and Scott Walker all mix it up a bit, I think if you like Monoliths and Dimensions they're all worth checking out too.

The collaboration with Scott Walker is fantastic, well said.

[alan nagsworth]

Black One is a tremendous album. I remember hearing Orthodox Caveman for the first time and bloody hell. It peaks sounding like a gargantuan fucking hell train trudging along at walking speed and obliterating the thick rusted tracks and the earth and rock below it. Absolutely blew my head off.

I do understand where our sometimes-correct friend holyzombiejesus is coming from, though. I listened to three of the four songs on this new one and then was done. "I get it" I said aloud, to no one (and then again to my friend later when telling him about it). I don't dislike it, but if I'm sitting alone listening to it I just don't feel like I need very much of it. Fair play to 'em though because they are really good at what they do, among the best of our generation.

[Shaky]

Is this new one better than Kannon at least? Because I cannot remember a note of that, apart from the reworked (and better) Dømkirke track.

[303]

I got a copy of this at the weekend,it puts me in mind of øø Void. Lovely stuff, looking forward to the next one later in the year.

[kngen]

Well I can't help it if you've got cloth ears...nah, just messing, I can understand fully where you're coming from.
Also the collaboration records with Boris, Ulver and Scott Walker all mix it up a bit, I think if you like Monoliths and Dimensions they're all worth checking out too.

That Ulver collab is amazing, and that Boris one introduced me to Jesse Sykes, which I can't love it enough for. I need to go back to it, but the Scott Walker one left me wanting a little. I think I would have prefered it to be a Sunn album with Scott Walker than vice versa (although I do love his work, too). It seemed a little reined in.

Edit: Just listened to first track on Life Metal and went 'hang on, isn't that Odin's Ride Over Nordland by Bathory' and it only bloody is. I'm Tr00 kvlt, me

[kidney]

Pyroclasts came out today

https://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/pyroclasts

[king_tubby]

Saw 'em last night. Will stick some thoughts on the gigs thread later.