About sunn O)))

Sunn O))) (pronounced sun) is an American experimental band that incorporates some elements of the ambient, noise and black metal genres. The band consists of Stephen O'Malley (also of Khanate and Burning Witch) and Greg Anderson (of Goatsnake). Their sound image is extremely slow and heavy, using electric guitars, in low tunings such as drop A, enriched by resonant feedback creating their soundscapes. There is very little drumming and a lack of any discernible beat. When performing live the band wear 'grim robes', fill the air with fog, and play at a high volume. Unlike related artists in the "drone metal" and "dark ambient" fields, they have received a higher level of popularity from fans, and are widely regarded as leaders in the genre; they have had the recognition of newspapers such as the edition of The New York Times Magazine of May 28, 2006, when Sunn O))) was featured in an article called "Heady Metal". They were mentioned in an issue of Wonkavision, an independent music magazine, being praised as one of the greatest modern metal acts along with Lamb of God and other contemporaries. Sunn O))) was also shown in the August 2007 issue of Q Magazine (the "loud issue"), with their album White1 being named the 18th heaviest album of all time, just above AC/DCs Back in Black and below Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced?.