
Tag: sunn o)))

Resonant Sound Baths: Sunn O))) at the Lodge Room
Having never heard SUNN O))) before, I had no idea what I was in for as I waited at the back door of the Lodge Room in Highland Park. I purposely didn’t look them up or listen to them. Sometimes I like going into a show totally blind and open to something new. And last night was something new, for sure. I’m either the worst person in the world to write about this, or the best. See, I thought I was going to see a metal show, a rock show, a show that fit into the box I had constructed that contains everything I thought I knew about a musical act. On stage the semi-circle of 10 stacks of amplifiers only spoke to it being loud but nothing else. Last night was a beautiful, profound, and absolute assault on the senses…. Almost spiritual in nature. When the first vibrations of deafening sound hit me I nearly panicked …I wanted to run, leave get out as quickly as I could … I closed my eyes and gave into the loudest droning guitars I had ever heard in my life It was an electronic exorcism performed by two cloaked figures wielding guitars

Riff and Ritual: Sunn O))) at the Regent Theater
What is the loudest band in rock? Manowar earned the title in the Guinness book of world records but before that there was a consensus among rockers that Ministry was king of the hill. AC/DC’s own Brian Johnson is in danger of going deaf. My Bloody Valentine played so loud at Coachella 2014 that it drowned out Public Enemy’s set even at P.E.’s stage. Godflesh’s Justin Broderick said in an interview that they once played at 8000 watts making one audience member go deaf and a couple of women orgasm. Every band I just mentioned would have a tribute in volume’s Valhalla but Seattle’s avante garde Sunn o))) would be playing over the loud speakers. I heard a lot about Sunn O))) before I ever listened to their music. Mostly “Dude, you got to see these guys live!”, I heard their concerts described as immersive musical experiences where audiences are surrounded by so much fog that you can’t see your own hand in front of your face. Listening to their latest release Kannon, I feel like the band is trying to capture the darkest tones of nature or maybe translate gravity into music. I hear riffs that seem strummed by