The Sun & The Earth

• 01Earth 2EarthGreg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley have never hesitated to remind people that Sunn O))) started as unapologetic Earth worship, the impetus being to play riffs in the spirit of Earth 2, only slower.from the chapter
• 02Monoliths and DimensionsSunn O))) · 2009From its earliest and most straightforward recordings to the symphonic masterpiece that is Monoliths and Dimensions, Sunn O))) has time and again used that modus operandi to craft voids that beckon like Nietzsche’s abyss.from the chapter
• 03The Grimm Robe DemosSunn O)))Looking at song titles from Sunn O)))’s 1999 debut, The Grimm Robe Demos (originally released on Hydra Head before Southern Lord reissued it), the duo’s frame of mind at the time is clear.from the chapter
• 04“Defeating Earth’s Gravity”Sunn O)))As if the monotonous roar of the record wasn’t enough to clue people in, song titles “Defeating Earth’s Gravity” and the even less subtle “Dylan Carlson” make it clear that the recording is essentially Earth 2 played through more powerful amps.from the chapter
• 05“Dylan Carlson”Sunn O))) · 2000As if the monotonous roar of the record wasn’t enough to clue people in, song titles “Defeating Earth’s Gravity” and the even less subtle “Dylan Carlson” make it clear that the recording is essentially Earth 2 played through more powerful amps.from the chapter
• 06ØØ VoidSunn O))) · 2000There’s also a harsh depth to the album that hints at the chasms Sunn O))) would later tear into the universe. ØØ Void, released in 2000, prowls similar territory.from the chapter
• 07Flight of the BehemothSunn O))) · 2002With 2002’s Flight of the Behemoth, Sunn O))) fully emerged from Earth’s shadow, creating unwelcoming atmospheres with abrasive noise in addition to copious distortion.from the chapter
• 08White 1Sunn O)))White 1, White 2, and all of Sunn O)))’s records since then bring to mind the monoliths in 2001: A Space Odyssey.from the chapter
• 09White 2Sunn O)))White 1, White 2, and all of Sunn O)))’s records since then bring to mind the monoliths in 2001: A Space Odyssey.from the chapter
• 10“The Gates of Ballard”Sunn O))) · 2003If “My Wall” evokes 2001’s first monolith, “The Gates of Ballard” is the techno-psychological labyrinth Bowman gets sucked into.from the chapter
• 11“A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You”Sunn O))) · 2003Closer “A Shaving of the Horn That Speared You” lurks in nebulous caverns with Gammelsæter groaning like an exiled prisoner.from the chapter
• 12Black OneSunn O))) · 2005Sunn O))) uncaged Black One in 2005. Featuring Malefic of Xasthur, Wrest of Leviathan, and composer Oren Ambarchi, Black One is malice incarnate—and easily Sunn O)))’s most chilling album.from the chapter
• 13Take as Needed for PainEyehategod · 1993Along with Take as Needed for Pain and Through Silver in Blood, listening to Black One for the first time was one of the only occasions when I’ve felt truly scared by a piece of music.from the chapter
• 14Through Silver in BloodNeurosis · 1996Along with Take as Needed for Pain and Through Silver in Blood, listening to Black One for the first time was one of the only occasions when I’ve felt truly scared by a piece of music.from the chapter
• 15“Sin Nanna”Sunn O))) · 2005In my head, the subcutaneous hum of opener “Sin Nanna” painted an ancient fortress enshrouded in fog.from the chapter
• 16“It Took the Night to Believe”Sunn O))) · 2005Gaining energy from Taoiseach’s ambient black metal guitar, Wrest’s vocals in “It Took the Night to Believe” morphed into a Terror Dog that scratched at my mind and fucked up my ability to drive, even though I was sober.from the chapter
• 17“Cursed Realms (of the Winterdemons)”Sunn O))) · 2005The Terror Dog returned via Malefic’s howls in “Cursed Realms (of the Winterdemons),” oozing from my truck’s speakers beneath a blanket of harsh noise.from the chapter
• 18“Candle-Goat”Sunn O)))“Orthodox Caveman” and “Candle-Goat” provided some grounding in the familiar churn of Earth 2 riffage on a cocktail of Quaaludes and steroids.from the chapter
• 19AltarSunn O)))After Black One, Sunn O))) collaborated with Japanese fuzz gods Boris on the multifaceted Altar (2006), abrading happiness with the drones of “Etna” and “N.L.T.”—and then swimming in crystalline ether in “The Sinking Belle,” a song that’s carried by Jesse Sykes’s broken croon.from the chapter
• 20Angel ComaSunn O)))That same year, the duo teamed with Earth for the Angel Coma split, dirt and nothingness pressed onto the same vinyl slab.from the chapter
• 21OracleSunn O)))Sunn O))) put out the Oracle EP in 2007, following that with a handful of live recordings and collaborations.from the chapter
• 22“Alice”Sunn O)))Attila Csihar appears on all of the record’s tracks save for the battle-weary “Alice,” his presence making tangible the portentousness of Monoliths and Dimensions.from the chapter
• 23KannonSunn O))) · 2015Sunn O))) put out Kannon in 2015, which returns to stripped drone form in three (relatively) concise pieces that each dissolve flesh.from the chapter
• 24SousedSunn O)))Soused and Terrestrials of 2014 are collaborative efforts, the former with experimental musician Scott Walker and the latter with the metallic collective Ulver, making Kannon Sunn O)))’s first solo LP since Monoliths and Dimensions.from the chapter
• 25TerrestrialsSunn O)))Soused and Terrestrials of 2014 are collaborative efforts, the former with experimental musician Scott Walker and the latter with the metallic collective Ulver, making Kannon Sunn O)))’s first solo LP since Monoliths and Dimensions.from the chapter
• 26Life MetalSunn O))) · 2019In 2019, the group put out Life Metal. Perhaps more than any other Sunn O))) release, the LP finds hope in a dying world.from the chapter