Sunn O))) Releases Details on New Album

SUNN O))) is proud to present their seventh studio album, after ten years of existence, entitled Monoliths and Dimensions. The album showcases the core guitar duo - Stephen O`Malley and Greg Anderson - incorporating influences from a plethora of guest musicians, bringing the SUNN O))) sound to epic new levels. The band also collaborated with composer Eyvind Kang (notable for his work with JOHN ZORN, MARC RIBOT, BILL FRISELL, etc.) on various acoustic ensembles, in addition to the Helios fueled electric guitars and basses. Key players on the album include Australian guitar genius Oren Ambarchi, enigmatic Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR, etc.) and slow music godfather Dylan Carlson (EARTH), as well as Julian Priester (worked with SUN RA in the 50s, JOHN COLTRANe`s African Brass band, and HERBIE HANCOCK`s Sextant band) and new-music horn player Stuart Dempster. There`s also an upright bass trio, French and English horns, harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed and strings ensembles, and a Viennese woman`s choir led by Persian vocal savant Jessika Kenney.


The album is not "SUNN O))) with strings" or "metal meets orchestra" material. The band took an approach concentrating on more of allusion toward the timbre of feedback and the instruments involved, so the piece is really illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear, stating that the end product is "the most musical piece we`ve done, and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we`ve laid to tape" The album was recorded and mixed by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer at various points over the last two years, and will be released late May 2008. Monoliths and Dimensions is practice in density, gravity and momentum.


With honor, SUNN O))) is announcing four live performances in Japan, to recognize the tenth anniversary of SUNN O)))’s creation, and to coincide with the recording of the first album, The GrimmRobe Demos. SUNN O)) will be playing material from GrimmRobes exclusively. It will be a return to their primal origins, and approach respecting a concept of shoshin , the beginner’s mind, the yet undyed pure wool, the clarity in initiation upon the untraveled. The attitude of embodying the basics precisely, point by point, line by line, with an immovable faith in the teaching, experience and of beyond the possibility. Of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when approaching, even with much experience, just as a beginner would upon the initial impetus and thirst to seek the path. And so, with this mindset, they will be approaching these live concerts. Pure, raw, uninhibited invocations featuring O)))s core members: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson ONLY. Two Les Paul guitars, four Sunn fullstacks, four Ampeg bass stacks. No guests, no vocals, no keyboards. We hope you will join us!


SUNN O))) will also be playing the Leave Them All Behind Festival at Ebisu Liquidroom, on Sunday, April 19. The line up is Stephen O’Malley, Greg Anderson and Atsuo from BORIS; this is not Shoshin show but exclusive special arrangement.


4/19 (Sun): Tokyo, Japan – Leave Them All Behind Festival at Liquidroom, with ISIS, BORIS, ENVY, GROWING
4/21 (Tue): Tokyo, Japan - Earthdom, Shin-Okubo, with COFFINS (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/22 (Wed): Tokyo, Japan - Earthdom, Shin-Okubo, with JIM O’ROURKE (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/23 (Thu): Osaka, Japan - Sunsui, Unagidani, with BLACK GANION (open 18:00, start 19:00)
4/24 (Fri): Osaka, Japan - Sunsui, Unagidani, with RUNZELSTIRN and GURGELSTOCK (open 18:00, start 19:00)

SUNN O))): More 'Monoliths & Dimensions' Details Revealed

American "drone metal" act SUNN O))) will release its seventh studio album, "Monoliths & Dimensions", in late May via Southern Lord Recordings. The CD showcases the core guitar duo — Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson — incorporating influences from a plethora of guest musicians, bringing the SUNN O))) sound to epic new levels. The band also collaborated with composer Eyvind Kang (notable for his work with John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, etc.) on various acoustic ensembles, in addition to the Helios-fueled electric guitars and basses. Key players on the album include Australian guitar genius Oren Ambarchi, enigmatic Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar (MAYHEM, TORMENTOR) and slow music godfather Dylan Carlson (EARTH), as well as Julian Priester (worked with SUN RA in the '50s, John Coltrane's African Brass band, and Herbie Hancock's Sextant band) and new-music horn player Stuart Dempster. There's also an upright bass trio, French and English horns, harp and flute duo, piano, brass, reed and strings ensembles, and a Viennese woman's choir led by Persian vocal savant Jessika Kenney.

The album is not "SUNN O))) with strings" or "metal meets orchestra" material. The band took an approach concentrating on more of allusion toward the timbre of feedback and the instruments involved, so the piece is really illusory, beautiful and not entirely linear, stating that the end product is "the most musical piece we've done, and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we've laid to tape."

The CD was recorded and mixed by Randall Dunn and Mell Dettmer at various points over the last two years, and is practice in density, gravity and momentum.

"Monoliths & Dimensions" track listing:

01. Aghartha (17:34)
02. Big Church [megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért] (09:43)
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia) (10:02)
04. Alice (16:21)

SUNN O))) will make a special, one-off appearance at London's Corsica Studios on February 22, with the core duo Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson performing their 1998 debut "The Grimmrobe Demos".

SUNNO))) To Release 'Monoliths & Dimensions' In May

American "drone metal" act SUNNO))) will release its new album, "Monoliths & Dimensions", on May 5 via Southern Lord. Described by the band as "probably the most musical piece we've done and also the heaviest, powerful and most abstract set of chords we've laid to tape," the LP — the band's seventh — was recorded during 2007 and 2008 with Randall Dunn and features a host of collaborators, including Eyvind Kang, Oren Ambarchi, Jessika Kenney, Attila Csihar and Dylan Carlson, among others.

"Monoliths & Dimensions" track listing is as follows:

01. Aghartha
02. Big Church
03. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia)
04. Alice

SUNNO))) will also make a special, one-off appearance at London's Corsica Studios on February 22, with the core duo Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson performing their 1998 debut "The Grimmrobe Demos".

SUNN O))) Announces U.S. Live Shows

SUNN O))) has announced four live performances in the United States to recognize the 10th anniversary of the band's creation, and to coincide with the recording of the group's first album, "The GrimmRobe Demos". According to a press release, "SUNN O)) will be playing material from 'GrimmRobe' exclusively. It will be a return to their primal origins, and approach respecting a concept of shoshin, the beginner's mind, the yet undyed pure wool, the clarity in initiation upon the untraveled. The attitude of embodying the basics precisely, point by point, line by line, with an immovable faith in the teaching, experience and of beyond the possibility. Of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when approaching, even with much experience, just as a beginner would upon the initial impetus and thirst to seek the path. And so, with this mindset, they will be approaching these live concerts. Pure, raw, uninhibited invocations featuring O)))'s core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson ONLY. No guests, no vocals, no keyboards."

SUNN 0))) Shoshin/GrimmRobes USA Tour 2008:

Oct. 10 - Safari Sam's - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 12 - Berbati's Pan - Portland, OR
Oct. 15 - Knitting Factory - New York, NY
Oct. 16 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA

SUNN 0))): New Studio CD, Live Album On the Way

SUNN 0)))'s seventh studio album is still in the incubation stages. Preliminary tracks have been recorded in Seattle, Washington with Randall Dunn (ALTAR ALBUM, EARTH, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM). Beyond the core duo of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson, the CD features appearances by Attila Csihar (MAYHEM) and Oren Ambarchi. Renowned violinist (among other instruments) Eyvind Kang has also collaborated with SUNN 0))) on this album. Eyvind has been adding string and horn orchestration to the wicked sonic brew. The material is as diverse as ever, traversing new directions, yet grounded in the behemoth foundation of yore.

In other news, SUNN 0))) will release a double-vinyl-only live album later this summer entitled "Dømkirke". The recording is from a very special live performance by SUNN 0))) in a cathedral in Bergen, Norway. The Borealis festival commissioned a piece of music referring to the gothic Gregorian hymns of the late Middle Ages; hymns that flourished within the Bergen Cathedral in its earliest years. The building was built around 1180 in the age of the Great Famine and The Black Plague. The Gregorian hymns of this time reflected the despair, the terrors and darkness of the world, and consisted of long slow lines of unison melodies. The style, the dark mood and the slow melodic development are all elements that also can be traced back to SUNN 0)))'s musical universe. These parallels between SUNN 0))) and the medieval times gave birth to this commission. The SUNN 0))) core duo of Stephen O' Malley and Greg Anderson was joined by Attila Csihar (MAYHEM) on vocals, Steve Moore (EARTH, ASCEND, STEBMO) on organ, Lasse Marhog (JAZZKAMMER) on electronics, and T.O.S. on keyboards. Each LP side contains one singular piece:

Side 1) Why Dost Thou Hide Thyself In Clouds?
Side 2) Cannon
Side 3) Cymatics
Side 4) Mass Of The Ætmospheres

Like last year's "Oracle" LP release by SUNN 0))), this 180-gram heavyweight vinyl will be packaged in a super-deluxe gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves featuring stunning photographs of the performance.

Album Of The Day-Sunn O)))-"Flight Of The Behemoth" (2002)

Well, not a huge fan of Drone/Ambient/Electronic/Noise Metal, I have the utmost respect for Sunn O))). They are the ultimate band if you are interested in what the above stated sub-genre is all about. I have decided to make "Flight Of The Behemoth" the Album Of The Day. Read the review below then listen for yourself.

Review:

Sunn's first two discs, The Grimmrobe Demos and 00 Void, established the group's droning, bass-heavy "power ambient" doom style and showed that the bandmembers had spent plenty of time listening to and learning from their Earth records. With Flight of the Behemoth, they begin with that same basic foundation (in fact, the first two tracks are impossible to distinguish from ones on their earlier albums), but for the first time also branch out to create something new, something that goes beyond any sort of mere Earth worship. This is partially true of the last track, "F.W.T.B.T.," which employs a drummer and a vocalist for the first time on any Sunn recording, but more so on the third and fourth ones, "O))) Bow 1" and "O))) Bow 2." Given the once-over by special guest mixer/legendary noise artist Merzbow, Sunn's hypnotic, slow-as-molasses feedback drones slowly evolve into a wall of distorted, swirling (although not completely overdriven) noise on these tracks, creating the sensation of being slowly sucked into a black hole while a symphony of chain saws plays in the background. Sound like fun? Well, needless to say, this music is not for everybody, but this collaboration has yielded something truly immense and frightening, bridging the gaps between dark ambient/drone music and electronic noise, between doom metal and avant-garde electro-acoustic sound. This is a remarkable album, recommended for brave connoisseurs of any of the above genres. (William York, All Music Guide)

Track Listing:

01. "Mocking Solemnity" – 9:12
02. "Death Becomes You" – 13:09
03. "O)))Bow 1" – 5:54
04. "O)))Bow 2" – 12:53
05. "FWTBT" – 10:19

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