For nearly three decades, Sunn O))) have continuously redefined the limits of heavy music, merging Drone, Doom, and Avantgarde experimentation into a sound entirely their own. With their self-titled tenth album, their first full-length of new material since Pyroclasts (2019), and debut on Sub Pop, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson return to the primal core of the duo format, crafting an immersive and elemental work that proves their singular sound is still evolving.
“The drone requires neither chord nor band, representing — via its infinite pliability and accessibility — the ultimate folk music: a potent audio tool of personal liberation.” - Harry Sword / Monolithic Undertow
That idea immediately caught my attention because it resonated deeply with me when reading the Third Man Records book on the genesis of Drone music. When you listen to Sunn O))), you feel something heavy, dark, ritualistic, oppressive even, but never in an anxious or chaotic way.
I relate to this because some of my favorite Folk songs feel heavier than the heaviest distorted tracks. Songs like “Hurt” covered by Johnny Cash, “Haunted House” by Emma Ruth Rundle, or </i>“Find Me to Forgive”</i> by William Fitzsimmons carry a weight that goes beyond distortion. (And yes, for those who think I only listen to Post-Rock… I don’t, though it does carry enough melancholy to keep me close.)
The reason I’m making this introduction is because I didn’t want to write a usual track-by-track review. This album can’t really be described that way, and neither can Drone music in general. Sunn O))) is a band you have to experience live, it’s spiritual, physical, and impossible to fully reproduce on record. The art of Drone doesn’t lie in hooks, choruses, or even melodies. It lies in frequencies, in the way sound itself can carry meaning. That’s hard to explain, but it’s exactly what made me fall in love with music in the first place.
Some frequencies can be traumatic, tied to memories and lived experiences. At one point, “Butch’s Gun” made me think of the distant sound of an airplane, and I could imagine someone who had gone to war - it can definitely trigger PTSD.
Others can be deeply comforting, especially low frequencies, those vibrations that almost feel primal, like echoes of the womb. That’s the strange power of Drone: it bypasses thought and goes straight into the body, and it shows how certain sounds can carry invisible emotional weight.
My favorite track on the album remains “Glory Black”, the first piece released when the album was announced, and the one that pulled me in immediately. The album is fascinating, but honestly, if Sunn O))) play anywhere near you, go experience it live. That’s where this music fully breathes.
Drone has no real beginning and no end. It makes you lose track of time, forget the noise around you, and simply live inside the emotion. And sometimes, living through those emotions is the hardest thing to do, but also the most necessary if you want to break free from it.
So get lost in the sound, my friend. Enjoy the album, and above all, enjoy live music.
