Sunn O))) - Life Metal ALBUM REVIEW 

If you're not watching this review at .25 speed, you're not a real sunn 0))) fan

Sunn O)) is really just two guys named Steve and Greg

Fun Fact: Monoliths & Dimensions was Fantano's first 10/10 album in 2008

9/10 for me, nice to see an album more on the metal side being reviewed after such a gap

melon i’ve bought 59 wallets. please give me my mom back now

2nd metal review of 2019. At this rate we might get to see as many as 4 more reviews by the end of the year!

0:26 “Most people don’t take the duos music that seriously but I do” Well, melon’s approval is all that matters in this world.

This album has a great sounding due to Albini's work, who tries to record an album as if you were listening to a live performance. It's worth remembering that it was recorded in analog.

That’s a funny way of spelling 9/10. In all seriousness I thought ‘Between Sleipnir’s Breaths’ was a high point of the album. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s compressed to hell narration/singing on that track was so bone chilling. I guess I liked how hollow and disconnected it was from the instruments themselves. But hey that’s just me :)

5:18 For me it's the exact opposite: I love how Hildur Guðnadóttir's vocals are placed in the mix. It feels like I'm standing in a concert hall, listening to SUNN's music filling the whole room, while someone is standing right next to me and whispering in my ear. I love the intimacy. Even though there's waves of drone guitars rolling over me nonstop, I can still make out every tiny detail of Hildur's voice recordings like little clicks and pops of her lips (that may even be enhanced; I don't know. But definitely intended).

Sunn 🍈)))

FINALLY A METAL REVIEW, THANK YOU MELON GOD

Dude, you get mad if a band sounds the similar to previous albums they’ve done and then you get mad when they evolve. There’s nothing wrong with this record. It’s solid, sounds great, and it’s got a different quality to it without being too drastic. Plus the cover is badass.

I saw Sunn O))) part 2

Needle Drop Scores 2019 : 10/10 : 0 9/10 : 3 (Xiu Xiu), (Little Simz), (Weyes Blood) 8/10 : 13 7/10 : 14 6/10 : 17 5/10 : 7 4/10 : 4 3/10 : 1 (Maggie Rogers) 2/10 : 1 (Gunna) 1/10 : 0 NOT GOOD : 2 69/10 : 1 (NOW That’s What I Call Music, Vol. 69 Compilation) There has been 64 reviews this year 👍👍👍

Up for two minutes and there are already 27 comments. Jesusthony Christano

Anthony is the time of real one to sit down at a metal concert.

This album honestly blew me away, probably up there with my top 3 fav Sunn albums. Novæ feels like a religious experience each time I listen.

That big sigh at the beginning scared me, but I knew this was a good album.

🍈 Needle Drop Scores 2k19: 💉 *10/10:* 0 *9/10:* 3 (Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising , Little Simz - Grey Area, Xiu Xiu - Girl with Basket of Fruit) *8/10:* 13 *7/10:* _14_ *6/10:* 17 *5/10:* 6 *4/10:* 4 *3/10:* 1 (Maggie Rogers - Heard it in the Past Life) *2/10:* 1 (Gunna 💧 Drip or Drown 2) *1/10:* 0 *NOT GOOD* : 2 (NAV - BAD HADBITS, Logic - Supermarket) *69/10:* 1 (guess, and it ain't 6ix9ine!!!) There has been *64* reviews this year. Final Verdict: Metal with Life, any day of the week. If you think I have made a mistake, let me know and I'll fix it right away. Thanks for reading. 👍👍

This is the album that got me into drone metal as a whole. I cant stop listening to between slepnir's breath

Just a heads up to everyone interested in this album, they'll also be releasing a companion album or EP--unsure yet--entitled Pyroclasts later this year, date unreleased. On a separate note, I also reviewed this album if anyone's interested. Have a good day yo!

Thank You Anthony! :-) I hope more metal music is reviewed as I've noticed there has been far less for some reason so far.

Sounds like a grower for you. Might appear in a 'changed my mind' vid next year

Thought I put Blood Fire Death the first time I listened to this.

A welcome return to form for Sunn O))) in my opinion. It’s a new favorite in their discography for me

Thanks to you, I discovered Sunn O))) and I fell in love with these guys. The best ambient music, for reading, praying, working and just listening too.

If anyone's interested in the art work it's by Samantha Keely Smith she's amazing 🔥

the first video Anthony made was the video of him reviewing a sunn 0))) concert he went to.

Release the gizzard review coward

I’m really unsure what you’re listening to this album on, but I’m going to guess initially it was mainly headphones as you mention in a previous video that you do that a lot while listening to review material. I’m sure later that you listened to it on a hifi, but I think the initial listens on headphones may have clouded your judgment slightly of the later hifi experience. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s vocals sound epic on my hifi. The placement and EQ is sweet and clean. Listening to a stereo mix on headphones obviously is a binaural experience not a stereo one by the very nature of headphones themselves, making the imagined soundstage sound less natural and therefore discerning the true placement and EQ of the vocals trickier to assess, especially considering the wide frequency range the instrumentation fills. I think you should give this album another listen with fresh ears, but only in stereo as nature intended, as I really feel Albini has caught the true tonal essence of the band for the first time. Gone are the usual multilayered ProTool overdubs that the band normally default to, which i feel in some of their past albums has, in my opinion, muddied their sound on occasion. Pairing back their sound from a artificially created, digitally manipulated wall of sound and just recording the actual musicians then laying that on tape has created what I really think is their best sounding album to date. Sometimes less truly is more. I can’t wait to hear what Albini has done for them with the sister album Pyroclasts.

Props to Anthony for being able to talk for a little over ten minutes about a drone metal album, lol.

With this review, this is the first metal review of 2019 and the first metal review Anthony has done since he reviewed High on Fire on October 19th, 2018. That is a gap of 6 months 11 days. At this pace, we can look forward to one (1) more metal review in 2019.

I loved the record They have performed many times with a trombonist the last few years... I have been waiting for them to incorporate that into a record because those spaces in the sets were incredibly

S E A T T L E

Why aren't there any more metal reviews? Think of us Metalheads more often! We appreciate it

Sunn O))) is the reason why I'm into TND. Thank you for reviewing this, AntFan!

got an extra week of listening to this because of the record store day release and i am very glad

I was surprised when Cal began to suck Thanos' chin in Endgame.

The brighter tones and uplifting frequencies made this an amazing release for me and I felt as though it was just as experimental as anything!

"life sounds is their best sounding album to date" scrolls down. 7/10 ¿uᴉɐƃɐ oǝpᴉʌ ʇsɹᴉɟ ʇɐɥʇ sɐʍ ʇɐɥʍ

Still mad about your passing review of Godflesh's Post Self (don't do Broadrick and GC dirty like that), but I respect you for this one. Good review. I'd have given it a 8/10, but solid nonetheless. O)))

The vocals in the first track... Maybe help bring back the attention of the listener? In the middle of all the buzzing and massaging she starts whispering to you?! It gives a momentary illusion of sorts, allowing the next build of sound to be a little more effective. I like the vocals. It makes me feel nostalgic of altar, but not too nostalgic. This album sounds great. I know meat and potatoes are pretty good, and there are many subtle ways to prepare the two. But What does a fungal chick pea sunnO))) burger sound like? Probably pretty good... I just want more from sunnO))).

I actually loved the woman’s voice on the intro song, it’s one of my favorite sunn songs, my favorite is Agertha, I don’t think the guitars and the atmosphere can be deeper and heavier that that

0:00 Melon became a minecraft zombie for a few seconds there

2009-2019 doesn't feel like a whole decade until you think about all the shit that's happened, yeah it was a fuckin decade holy crap

Play this album while watching the new Sonic the hedgehog trailer and you'll never sleep again

KING GIZZARD REVIEW WHEN MELON

I like this as much as Sunn O)))'s best albums. The clarity of the recording is impeccable, yes, but the intensity and organic feel of this album make it stand out in the experimentation from White1/2 and beyond. It is a great reminder that Sunn O))) are the best at doom/drone without their previous flourish.

Anthony please do a black metal starter pack

One of my favourite bands to see live, can't wait to see them again this Autumn.

Great job on this review, do you think you could review the new Cranberries album, In The End? I loved the album and it’s heartbreaking that it’ll be the Cranberries’ last after Dolores’ death last year :(

This is easily one of my favorite albums of all time from sunn , I know it’s not for everyone, it is also far from perfect, but god damn the intro of “Between Sleipnir’s breath” sent me to another dimension. I could listen to it on loop 24/7

fantano: This is undoubtedly Sunn O's BEST SOUNDING RECORD E V E R me: oh cool...wait...no yellow flannel, something's wrong

Im still waiting for King Gizzard album...

The drone of any music of this style need to placed within a tambir of the instrumentation. Lower tones need to be droned with certain strings muted. Determining what strings are responding to the amplifier is a must treble causing all the highest strings to respond but one to respond. If the horns are in the key of c minor for example the drone of the instrument would be lower in order to bring out the sound.

I never really followed the band for as long as Ant but damn I think this is a great album and has made me a fan. Gonna see them live asap

Heyyy I'm really glad you decided to review this. Picked it up on RSD and immediately checked it out and really enjoyed it

I definitely found this album to be phenomenal, it seemed like what we're used to from sunn but happy

Saw them perform this album Sunday and I highly recommend you go check them out if you like colossal sound and your ears ringing.

Sunn O))) are so epicc. This album is like floating in clouds while also flying through an underground cave

Oh that's sick that you reviewed it! I gave it the exact same score and felt about the same way! Didn't think you'd review it! :)

2019 aka the year of the 7

Coming soon in October is Sunn O)))’s “Pyroclasts” album

Nice review! Agreed on most points. My favorite track is definitely the opener. Yesterday I listened to Life Metal on repeat while mildly tripping on psilocybin mushrooms, sitting alone in a park and looking at the sky, it were some of the most blissful hours of my life. Probably shouldn't do that while listening to Black One or Flight Of The Behemoth :P Salute from The Netherlands!

"THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!"

So what you're saying is, if you're a newcomer to Sunn, this is a great place to start. Baller, I didn't like some of their other stuff so maybe I'll be into this one.

Ok, I feel you. But like, where would you want them to even take their sound going forward?

WHERE'S THE 5/10 RATING FOR CRASHTALK MELON?

I typed in, - new Steve Albini album-, and I landed here.

Thanks for reviewing metal Anthony, please review more

MELON YOU BETTER NOT BE SLEEPING ON ALTIN GÜN'S NEW ALBUM GET THAT REVIEW OUT SOON THEY'RE SUPER INTERESTING

I agree just about everything you said on this one. I also really liked the gothic feel to Troubled Air... kinda wish they would've explored that a bit more. Finding that the more I listen to it though, I really love it and the fact that they’re at such a high point in their career.

I love this new album, but nothing’ll beat Monoliths and Dimensions for me. That album is just perfect.

I hope you'll review the new Possessed, it's surprisingly good

Ive waited since M&D for a Sunn O))) album. And this scratches the itch Kannon didn't. I understand its pretty barebones, but you also get the raw concert experience from this if you listen loud enough. I wrote this before I watched and you hit all the points I just made

Loved it. 10/10. The riffs are their own adventure. This is an immaculate monster of a sonic experience. Between Sleipnir's Breaths was the best track on the album. Because of the reasons you critiqued, not in spite of them. Can't wait to hear the more improvised LP Pyroclasts from the same Albini sessions slated to drop later this year, too. I have a feeling it will hit the spot you were looking for in this one. I know it's gonna be amazing, regardless.

*Imperial Triumphant are incredible*

Sunn oh))) yeah

Whats really cool is that altar by sunn was released 2 days after i was born

The female vocals are what I liked the most of this album

Anthony really went in on this one, good review!

I put it on, and couldn't turn it off. It felt like something would happen if I did.

Maybe Pyroclasts will be the more experimental counterpart to Life Metal's more straight forward sound. Either way I loved it, I'd give it an 8 or 9.

great review. i agree with all your points..... very happy to have a new Sunn0))) album.

Yeah I'm gonna say 9/10 if I'm trying to be "objective," but honestly a 10 for me if you take reviewer tilt into account. I loved Kannon, too. Anyway you just get it, you picked up on that "bright" vibe on the first track and it WAS so bright, it captured the feeling of stepping into bright sunlight better than Deafhaven's Dream House did, even

Saw them on the 3rd of March in Hamburg, frickin amazing. Got the Album in the Mail the other day but I need to get my turntable setup to give it a listen :D

THANK U BASED FANTOINE this that shit i'm sub'd for

feel like ive seen this album art somewhere before

great review. thank you very much!! even when I didn't´t share your bit to negative opinion about the vocals of the opener.. I guess they are brillant..absolutely fitting! aaaand there are detailed descriptions missing about the massive genius energy-bow-looping of the chello that guiding to the end in fractal perfection.. ;) but all these details would take your review to infinity.. ;) perhaps there will follow an review about pyroclasts? would be suoerdope! :) drone on and best greetings from Berlin!

Who else is waiting on the Schoolboy Q record review. Although I think melon doesn’t really care for his music as much as other musicians, I still want to know his thoughts.

Weird, I've been on a flying Lotus kick lately too. That guy is a fucking genius.

I love the "meat and potatoes" comparison. This album for sun has really been kind of a return to function i think.

You should have drawn out that sigh in the intro to just a minute longer

I dunno. I actually kinda like that Sunn O))) went barebones with this album. It actually makes it reliving especially after the dense, experimental, yet lacking Kannon. Not to mention that OO Void and Flight of the Behemoth are two of my favorite Sunn O))) records so hearing that sound in higher-fidelity was good enough for me. Also, "Between Sleipnir's Breaths" might be the best track on the album and your criticism of how the vocals were mixed is kinda bizarre since it's evident that's what the band was going for. 8/10 album.

I’m so hyped for their next album (coming this year)!

I only came to this video to learn how to pronounce sunn o)))

I’ll buy 10,000 Ridge Wallets if you give MBDTF 10/10

Yes daddy be metal for us mmm 😋

Albini helped produce this? I now may have to listen to my first Sunn album.