Drone metal gods Sunn O))) have two new albums coming in 2019, both of which were produced by the equally legendary Steve Albini.
The first release, Life Metal, is due out in April through Southern Lord Recordings. It will be followed up this fall with a "more meditative" LP titled, Pyroclasts.
Sunn O))) co-founders Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson began working on new music in early 2018. Following an initial pre-production session at Dave Grohl's 606 Studios in California, they made their way to Chicago to record at Albini's Electrical Audio.
"An all analogue technique" was used for Life Metal, as the band "recorded and mixed on tape, providing a creative gateway for Sunn O))) to evolve their production methods into stronger, confident, performance based and a more logical executive process," according to a press release.
Joining the band on Life Metal is composer and frequent live collaborator Hildur Guðnadóttir, who adds vocals, electric cello, and haldorophone to the track "Novae". Additionally, Tim Midyett plays aluminium neck bass and baritone guitars throughout the album, while Anthony Pateras contributes pipe organ to "Troubled Air".
Recorded in parallel with Life Metal, Pyroclasts features contributions from Guðnadóttir, Midyett, and frequent collaborator Tos Nieuwenhuizen, a.k.a. T.O.S. Further details of that album will be revealed in the months ahead.