Sunn O))) - Life metal
Armin
05.02.2019 - 17:57- Newsbeitrag
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 U.S. tour since 2017 and the premier U.S. tour of their 2019-2020 season, including stops at The Masonic Lodge in Detroit, Howard Theatre in DC, Agora Theatre in Cleveland, The Caves in Pelham, TN and Brooklyn Steel. Dates and details can be found below, with more info to come soon.
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 realized 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 (Southern Lord)
TRACK LISTING
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). More news soon.
SUNN O))) LET THERE BE DRONE (MULTIPLE GAINS STAGES)
March 2019 - Europe
February 28 DE Frankfurt Mousonturm
March 1 AT Graz Elevate festival/Orpheum
March 2 CZ Prague Divadlo Archa
March 3 E Hamburg Kampnagel
March 4 NL Amsterdam Paradiso
March 6 FR Lyon L'Epicerie Moderne
March 7 FR Nancy L'Autre Canal
March 8 FR Dijon La Vapeur
March 9 FR Rouen QuasaRites Day/Le 106
March 11 FR Tours Le Temps Machine
March 12 FR Nantes Stereolux
March 13 FR La Rochelle La Sirene
March 14 FR Bordeaux Le Rocher de Palmer
April 2019 - North America
April 17 Cleveland, OH @ Agora
April 18 Detroit, MI @ Masonic
April 19 Chicago, IL @ Rockefeller Chapel
April 20 Pelham, TN @ The Caverns
April 24 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
April 25 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
April 26 New Haven, CT @ College Street
April 28 Washington, DC @ The Howard
Herr
13.02.2019 - 13:24
Das Lesen dieses länglichen Werbetextes sorgt schon mal für die richtige Einstimmung auf den Schmerz, die Songs ohne Drang des Rüberzappens zu Roxette aushalten zu müssen.
Analog Kid
13.02.2019 - 14:16
Interessantes Interview:
STEREOGUM: Tell me about the title Life Metal.
ANDERSON: Well it’s a relative of death metal. I’ll just throw that out there. The story’s actually kind of humorous. We were at a party with Nicke Andersson from Hellacopters and Entombed. And he was talking about when Entombed had signed to Columbia Records in the mid-’90s. He started getting calls from his old friends in Norway in the black metal scene saying that he was a sellout and that he was no longer “death metal,” he was “life metal.” And [he was] actually getting death threats, I guess. So we thought that was the most insane thing we’d ever heard, and it kind of became an inside joke with the band. Like, when something, like, not gloom-and-doom was happening, it was “life metal.” A vocalist we work with, Attila [Csihar of Mayhem], was getting really into fitness on tour.
O’MALLEY: Exercising in the morning and stuff instead of being dead in the back of the bus.
ANDERSON: So, he would say, “Hey bros, I’m gonna go do some life metal.” It just became this inside joke among the band. I think the title was also a really accurate description or reflection of the music and also the mindset and the mood of the players on the record. Me and Stephen and Tos [Nieuwenhuizen], the keyboard player, [were] just at a point in our life where things were a different sort of tone and mood. And I think that’s reflected in the playing, which is really the important part. I think that the title reflects the atmosphere of the music.
And really, the artwork for the record and the choices made there with the colors and stuff, it’s very different from our other records which are very … there are a lot of dark [tones] and a lot of blacks and whites and things like that.
O’MALLEY: It’s also related to Venom. They started the whole thing. The descriptive types of metal.
ANDERSON: Black Metal, right.
Der Untergeher
13.02.2019 - 14:26
Ich bin gespannt. Habe das Gefühl, dass sie sich weiterentwickelt haben. Außerdem ist Albini immer ein guter Indikator.
blümchen
18.04.2019 - 17:45
auf npr.org ein first listen.
70min.spielzeit, kann was werden
blümchen
19.04.2019 - 16:19
gleich erstdurchlauf der Life Metal
gleich gehts weiter
blümchen
19.04.2019 - 16:30
so Start bereits gedrückt,
between sleipnirs breaths läuft schon 3 min.,
gewohnte gitarrenwände und jetzt female flüstervocals. 6min rum tbc
blümchen
19.04.2019 - 16:40
der erste song neigt sich dem ende, 12 min laufzeit, bislang NUR okay...
der zweite song troubled air, vlt. kann der ja mehr, startet gewohnt wie auch der erste song, aber jetzt setzt eine orgel/dudelsack ein...tbc
hexed all
19.04.2019 - 16:43
Gefällt mir schon besser als der öde Vorgänger, aber von Monoliths & Dimensions leider immer noch weit entfernt...
blümchen
19.04.2019 - 16:49
zur M&D zeit habe ich damals sunn entdeckt und rauf und runter gehört und M&D ist deren beste.
aber was macht trouble air, nun doomt vor sich hin, auch nicht der Bringer, hmmm.ebenso 12 min, die sich zu ende neigen, bislang solala.
jezt 20 min Aurora, da muss was kommen tbc
blümchen
19.04.2019 - 16:55
hab nach 2 min aurora auf stopp gedrückt, fängt auch langweilig wie die beiden songs davor an, reicht erstmal...
höre jetzt amnesiac von radiohead
Herr
24.04.2019 - 14:03
Amnesiac zu hören, ist aber auch keine Lösung, sondern die Flucht in eine Traumwelt unter Negierung der Realität.
Höre jetzt Moi Lolita von Alizée
Randwer
02.05.2019 - 23:10
Ich bin ja ein großer Hildur-Fan. Von daher werde ich mir das Album auch mal zu Gemüte führen
VelvetCell
15.05.2019 - 20:47
Das Album gefällt mir mal wieder ziemlich gut, nachdem ich mit Kannon nie wirklich warm geworden bin. Vielleicht bin ich auch nur gerade in der richtigen Stimmung ...
MasterOfDisaster69
06.08.2019 - 13:33
@VelvetCell: geht es Dir mittlerweile besser?
sorry, ich kann weiterhin mit diesem langweiligem Zeug nichts anfangen. Wer hört sich das wirklich über 70 Minuten komplett nüchtern an? mag ja handwerklich alles gut sein, aber dennoch, da passiert einfach zu wenig. Und dann noch Referenzen wie Neurosis, gar Fantomas, Isis, Cult of Luna und und und.
VelvetCell
06.08.2019 - 13:48
Ich kann dich verstehen, Master. Sunn nicht zu mögen ist nachvollziehbar. Und wie ich schon schrieb, kommt das auch bei mir sehr auf die Stimmung und das Umfeld an, in dem ich höre. Wenn das allerdings stimmt, kann ich mich in dieser Musik verlieren. Im Grunde ist das ja auch nur Ambient-Musik.
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