ALBUM REVIEW “SUNN O)))” by SUNN O)))

It’s hard to believe that SUNN O))) – Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson – have been pushing the very boundaries of heavy music for 30 years. Forging rock, metal and avant-garde together into something truly unique and mesmerising. Sometimes called drone metal, I don’t think the term does justice to the complexity, and nuances of their sound.

“SUNN O)))” is their tenth album, and their first album since 2019’s acclaimed “Pyroclasts”, and is their debut album on new label Sub Pop. “We decided that we should approach Sub Pop, after I’d had some great conversations with Jonathan Poneman,” he says. “So I called him up and before I could get the words out of my mouth, he said, ‘We’d love to do it. Tell me what you guys need.’ He was really excited and supportive.” And in October 2025 they released the first fruit of a new deal in the form of a maxi 12” featuring “Eternity’s Pillars”, “Raise The Chalice” and “Reverential” – three monumental tracks from the same sessions that produced the new album.

SUNN O))) have long been creatures of collaboration, their previous works include Hungarian vocal explorer Attila Csihar, Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore, Texan polymath Mark Deutrom, Silkworm co-founder Tim Midyett and legendary singer-songwriter Scott Walker. But for this new album, O’Malley and Anderson explore the still-fertile, primal territory of the duo format.

Their live performances over the last 2 to 3 years as a duo have felt “really fresh and exciting” according to Anderson. O’Malley adds that “on this album for the first time all of the instrumentation was performed by Greg and I,” ….. “All of the records have our leadership and direction, of course, but this time around, it was almost like this crucible of ideas that was really at the core of what we’ve been doing.”

The new album was tracked at Bear Creek Studios, Woodinville, Washington with Brad Wood (HuM, Tar, Sunny Day Real Estate, Liz Phair). This location would prove crucial to the recording process. “The vast tracking room had big windows looking out on trees,” says O’Malley. “We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it.”

“It was very inviting and very comfortable there,” adds Anderson. “There was no stress, no worry about the timeline or anything like that. We just let ourselves go, and let the music come out.”

And this experience, and connection with nature have helped shape the album. 18-minute opener XXANNcontains an unexpected element subtly detectable underneath the ear-shattering screech from the juncture where a riff is decelerated until it becomes an insistent subterranean drone: a trickle of spring water. The sound of running water also herald’s the arrival of Mindrolling before ominous and relentless heavy rumble kicks in, and within the intense industrial feel of album closer Glory Black there’s heavy bass piano notes and muted heavy bells set against more running water, which appears again at the end to lead us out of the album to a strangely calming peace.

SUNN O))) is not for everyone. I guess it’s like Marmite. For some that first taste, it’s a yes or a no, and the same here. Some will hear it for the first time, and will switch off, not get it, consider it noise. But to the open minder, and patient listener, SUNN O))) brings a wealth of depth to explore. Far from being just relentless, monotonous noise, deep in those heavy tones, there is a wealth of hypnotic texture and enriching detail that is far easier to simply feel and become immersed in than do justice to with words.

They take classic metal riffs, down tune them and slow them down with intense delay and sustain creating a sound where it almost feels like time itself is slowing down. It’s as if you’re listening to metal, as you’re being pulled into the accretion disk of a black hole, slowing to an eternity tone.

And it’s not just about the recordings themselves. SUNN O))) create a fully immersive experience, both audio and visual and seek out collaborative opportunities for the album itself.

Following collaborations with the likes of Joanne Ratcliffe for “Black One”, Richard Serra for “Monoliths & Dimensions”, Angela LaFont Bolliger for “Kannon” and Samantha Keely Smith for “Life Metal” and “Pyroclasts”, O’Malley and Anderson apprached and were granted permission by the estate of the late American artist Mark Rothko to reproduce two of his paintings on the album’s sleeve.

For the album’s liner notes, these were provided by award-winning British writer Robert Macfarlane, famed for his works concerning landscape and the multifaceted relationship between humanity and nature. “I’ve been very interested in Robert’s writing for a long time,” says O’Malley. “He was very up for engaging with this project. And what he ended up turning in was mind-blowing. It’s part of the creative process, framing our music in a certain way, visually and with language, before presenting it to the world.”

All of which adds up to a fully immersive experience, uniting sound, word and visual into something that is undeniably, completely SUNN O))).

Well ? I love it ! There’s a depth and variety to the new material, a place to sit and spend time with, and explore every nook and every tone. “SUNN O)))” is an immersive experience and one to take time with. A masterclass in metal deconstructed and well worth a 9.5/10 from LiveWire Music.

And following the release of “SUNN O)))” O’Malley and Anderson are heading to the UK for a series of shows in June / July 2026. I saw them live for the first time maybe3 years ago at the HMV Empire in Coventry, and it remains perhaps the most incredible live music experience I’ve ever had. SUNN O))) is meant to be played loud, and that’s exactly what they do, the heavy tones build and accumulate into a wild howl of sound that you can physically feel in your bones. It’s a truly physic, as well as audible experience.

SUNN O))) UK Live Dates

Sun. Jun. 28 - Bristol, UK - Prospect Building

Mon. Jun. 29 - Brighton, UK - Corn Exchange

Tue. Jun. 30 - Liverpool, UK - The Dome

Wed. Jul. 01 - Leeds, UK - Project House

Thu. Jul. 02 - Birmingham, UK - 02 Institute

Fri. Jul. 03 - London, UK - Troxy