If my search skills are to be trusted, Sunn O))) have never been mentioned at MetalTalk. It is not that surprising, given their extreme niche in the Metal world, albeit a niche that has grown to the size where this sonically and physically challenging band can sell out a 1,000-capacity room on a Monday night.
Sunn O)))
Paradise Rock Club, Boston – 12 October 2026
Words And Photography: Tim Bugbee
Like most bands of the Metal/Drone crossover, the duo of Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley owe more than a bit of sonic debt to The Melvins.
But instead of King Buzzo’s and Dale Crover’s knack of grafting catchy melodies to heavy songs, O’Malley and Anderson increasingly sharpened their focus on sound, and lots of it.
It has been interesting to see their progression, starting with Burning Witch and then via Goatsnake and Khanate, crafting a sound where the timbre and volume are just as, if not more, important to the actual notes played.
Before I entered the club, someone with a Sunn O))) hoodie walked past, and as a merch item/declaration of intent, the phrase “ever breathe a frequency?” inked on the back could not have been more appropriate.
One does not go to a Sunn O))) show to dance or sing along. It is more of an endurance test.
The stage is ringed with twelve massive 4×12 Hi-Watt cabinets, flanked on either side by huge Ampeg bass cabinets, three atop each other on their sides, all powered by a mix of vintage Ampeg and Sunn O))) pre-amps.
If you want to re-create their backline, I hope you are a scion of some industry magnate because these do not come cheaply. Amazingly, there were no reports of local brownouts.
The other primary hallmark of a Sunn O))) show is their unbridled use of chemical fog, with two massive jets shooting occasional plumes from each side of the stage and more from behind the wall of amps (aka ‘Tonehenge’).
The haze stretched far beyond the main room, past the loos and nearly into the front room. I am sure most people left the venue carrying a lot more glycol and glycerin in their lungs on the way out than on the way in.
Have I mentioned the robes yet? The massively crawling and suffocating riffs, slower than a glacier making its way to the ocean, along with everything else, make a performance more like an experience than a concert, the stark opposite of a sensory deprivation tank.
After firing the smoke machines on an infrequent cycle, the PA broadcast the infamous live Venom 7″ that Thurston Moore put out on his label years ago. RIP, Cronos.
Though Sunn O))) might be the world’s worst ‘Name That Tune’ band, some intrepid soul figured out the minutiae between the long drone tracks to take a stab at deciphering the set list, which was written in runic characters.
Remember the endurance claim? Starting a show with an hour-long song is a nice throwback to Sleep when they played Dopesmoker as support for Hawkwind back in the ’90s. Invisible oranges were clutched, heads slowly bobbed, and eardrums cowered in fear for their lives.
Yep, just another Sunn O))) show.
David Grubbs
Smartly, another loud sludge/doom/drone band was not added as a supporting act, and instead legendary guitarist David Grubbs took a seat in front of Sunn O)))’s towering backline with just a small practice amp powering his Telecaster.
Grubbs’ first band was the pre-Slint Hardcore band Squirrel Bait. But he quickly branched off into noisier (Bastro) and more esoteric (Gastr Del Sol) directions and has spent the last couple of decades making inscrutable music either solo or with like-minded voyagers.
The proverbial calm before the storm was a welcome counterpoint.
