Brian - A Small Sampling of the Mighty Sunn O)))

Experimental doom/drone titans Sunn O))) are one of my favorite groups, and I've wanted to put some stuff of theirs up for a long time. I saw them live twice a few weeks ago, and that gave me the impetus for this post.

I saw them in Chicago and Detroit. Two of the best gigs I've ever been to. The place is filled with fog, and there's four hooded figures onstage in front of a WALL of cabinets, making the most earth-shaking racket you've ever heard. A jet engine going off in your chest, hearing a building collapsing from the inside, being overrun by a wall of sound as you scream your exhilaration back at it. The sound actually becomes a physical element, like you can grab it and pull it into you....

And despite what you may have heard, there is a a show going on onstage. The mighty Attila Csihar spends the first part of the gig in a monk's robe, intoning and screeching, gesturing with his hands through the fog. It's captivating to watch. Then, after a break, he comes back out in this black outfit with mirrored shards all over it. He's got small lasers in his gloves, which reflect off his face and outfit as he's howling. It's an amazing sight, if you can remember to keep your eyes open while being pummeled like an anvil by their sound. Great show. They rarely tour the Midwest, and I was honored to see it twice. You don't look into the void; you're enveloped by it...

Anyway, on to what I'm giving you. I have their entire discography, but wanted to just give a small sampling. The first thing is their album Black One. It was their first record to heavily feature vocals, and is an amazing, dark masterpiece. There is also a link for Solstitium Fulminate, which was a bonus disc that came with rare vinyl editions of the album. A few of you already downloaded this awhile ago, since I had misplaced a link on that "penguin" post

Next is a link for their EP Oracle, featuring two warped 18 minute tracks. Also included is the rare 45 minute collage "HeliO)))sophist" as well as the track "Her Lips Were Wet With Venom", the bonus track from their collaborative album with Boris, Altar. Beautiful cacophony.

The last file is their live album Domkirke. It was recorded in a very old church in Norway, in front of a captivated audience. If you crank this one REALLY LOUD, it can just approximate what one of their gigs feels like. While I admit this file sonically pales when compared to my vinyl album, it's still a great listen. When the applause comes at the very end, it's great; you can tell the audience had to be snapped out of the state they were in. I know what that feels like!

I hope the adventurous among you find something to like here. And if you ever come across actually copies of their material - especially vinyl versions - buy something. A group this committed to boundary-pushing should be supported.