The band’s nontraditional approach has earned them cult status in the metal scene and a modicum of mainstream attention. Founders Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley (who also run the underground metal label Southern Lord) were featured in a New York Times article headlined “Heady Metal.”
The first time I saw Sunn O))) in an opening slot I was completely perplexed. A mammoth wave of bass shook the club’s foundations and rendered earplugs almost useless. It was hard to tell where songs or even passages began or ended. All of the band members were dressed in hoods and cloaked by fog. When the band finished playing the crowd was stunned and silent. I was so intrigued that I purchased two albums the next day.
Sunn O))) recently released their seventh album Monoliths and Dimensions via Southern Lord. About.com had a lengthy chat with Anderson about the new album, the influence of Gregorian chants and spirituality on the band’s music and approach and Attila’s expanded role in the group. We also discussed how Sunn O))) demands attention in a culture that seems fixated on making things shorter and more accessible.
Justin M. Norton: Can you tell me a little bit about the writing process for Monoliths and Dimensions?
Greg Anderson: Steve and I get together in a recording studio and bounce ideas and riffs off of each other. Things developed that way. There were a few things that were brought in ahead of time – each person will bring in a riff or an idea to get started. For the most part, songs unfold in the studio. Oren Ambarchi (Australian guitar player) was part of some of the initial songwriting and Attila Csihar (also Mayhem’s vocalist) was here. A lot of his contributions were added after he heard the initial tracking.
While occasionally dissonant, the new music doesn’t seem as dark or suffocating as Black One. Did you want to include more space and lighter shades on this album?
I don’t know if it was a conscious decision. It’s a result of where our heads are at the moment. When we wrote and recorded Black One we were in a very different head space. Part of it has to do with a willingness to be open to different things and different shades. You could even call it different shades of black (laughs). But that record was pretty dark and deep and intense. This one has some of those qualities, but lets the light in on pieces.
What do you want listeners to take away from the four tracks?
I don’t ever think about how I want people to react . I think it’s more about letting people have the freedom to take away what they want. I don’t try to dictate what that is or the reaction.
Can you tell me more about the opening track “Aghartha”? You start with the typical bass drone and later add a diverse palate of sounds. I heard violins, piano and other instruments. Attila’s voice seems to anchor the track, which takes a number of unexpected turns.
The opening riff, the first four and a half minutes, was the first thing we recorded when we started rolling tape. It ended up being the very first part of the album. It is meant to be performed in two phases. One is the super heavy riff and the second part is a toned down version of the riff without the massive amounts of distortion and saturation. We tried to open up and let things breathe a bit.
We tried to work with a lot of dynamics. There is the loud, oppressive part and then it opens up into a spacious part. That’s where Attila chose to put the vocals and where the instruments come in. A lot of that was just listening to the track. Attila heard it and suggested putting in some piano.
Were you influenced at all by Gregorian chants or medieval music when putting this album together?
Subconsciously. That’s something we like to listen to and I think there are similar qualities in our music. There are some reference points in both types of sounds.
How much of the new material will you incorporate into live sets this year?
I’m not sure. We are going to do a bunch of shows in the U.S. starting in July. We’ve never followed any sort of definitive plan for our records when we play live. With this one we are going to approach it as themes – certain strong themes that we are going to do live. We aren’t going to play anything note for note. That’s never been something we tried to do.
We live in a culture of short attention spans. Your music seems to require attention and go completely against an ethic both in metal and elsewhere that shorter is better. Is that intended?
The attention span is a lost art. With all the distractions today, the Blackberries and iPhones, it becomes difficult to reach people who are constantly stimulated. We aren’t consciously rebelling against that, but I’m proud of that fact that we make a statement. You make a statement these days with songs that are over five minutes and we put four songs on a record. We also don’t put two minute MP3 snippets online. We want people to listen to the pieces as a whole.
