Bring on the DOO)))M! Seattle’s Sunn O))) define doom, sludge, and all things slow and massive. Long after referring to their brand of monolithic loudness as Life Metal, they have decided to give that name to their upcoming eighth studio album. Life Metal is slated for a release on Southern Lord Records in April 2019, a release Sunn O))) will accompany with a tour of Europe and North America. The band will follow up Life Metal with a ‘second, more meditative’ full-length in autumn 2019 to be entitled Pyroclasts.
The Album: Life Metal
This would normally be the spot where a proper Everything Is Noise writer would feel obligated to drop a song. Sunn O))) fans know this would make no sense for a band that considers 10 minutes to be a short song. What we have instead would be a five-minute preview of Life Metal.
The Life Metal press release makes much of a ‘new approach’ by the band, though the sample given above does little to suggest that. Some contributions by Hildur Guðnadóttir (Múm, Pan Sonic, Angel) on vocals and electric cello are promised. Much is made of Sunn O)))’s new collaboration with Steve Albini of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour fame. Previous Sunn O))) albums were produced by the eminently talented Randall Dunn. What is new about the production is the use of analog tape technology rather than the digital fare ubiquitous today. So if any vinyl snobs need a 2019 album to justify their sensibilities, tell them to get a Life Metal.
Life Metal’s four songs will be entitled “Between Sleipnir’s Breaths”, “Troubled Air”, “Aurora”, and “Novae”. Expect the album to clock in at over 70 minutes. That figure was not released by the band. It’s a prediction. Feel free to argue otherwise in the comments.
The Tours
Sunn O))) will begin touring Europe at the end of Februay 2019 in a short run before Life Metal’s release.
Thu February 28 | DE Frankfurt | Mousonturm
Fri March 1 | AT Graz | Elevate festival/Orpheum (with Puce Mary, whose latest album was reviewed here)
Sat March 2 | CZ Prague | Divadlo Archa (w/Puce Mary)
Sun March 3 | DE Hamburg | Kampnagel (w/Puce Mary)
Mon March 4 | NL Amsterdam | Paradiso (w/Puce Mary)
Wed March 6 | FR Lyon | L’Epicerie Moderne (supported by Golem Mechanique)
Thu March 7 | FR Nancy | L’Autre Canal (w/Golem Mechanique)
Fri March 8 | FR Dijon | La Vapeur (w/Golem Mechanique)
Sat March 9 | FR Rouen | QuasaRites Day/Le 106
Mon March 11 | FR Tours | Le Temps Machine (supported by Standard-In-Fi)
Tue March 12 | FR Nantes | Stereolux (w/Standard-In-Fi)
Wed March 13 | FR La Rochelle | La Sirene (w/Standard-In-Fi)
Thu March 14 | FR Bordeaux | Le Rocher de Palmer (w/Standard-In-Fi)
The North American tour will more likely coincide with Life Metal’s April release date. No supporting acts are named at this time of writing.
Wed April 17 | Cleveland, OH | Agora
Thu April 18 | Detroit, MI | Masonic
Fri April 19 | Chicago, IL | Rockefeller Chapel
Sat April 20 | Pelham, TN | The Caverns
Wed April 24 | Philadelphia, PA | Underground Arts
Thu April 25 | Brooklyn, NY | Brooklyn Steel
Fri April 26 | New Haven, CT | College Street
Sun April 28 | Washington, DC | The Howard
Please note that Sunn O))) are famous for playing above the sonic pain threshold, so ear protection will be a must. Consult local venues and Sunn O)))’s social media for ticket information.
