Sunn O))) have launched the Life Pedal distortion, in collaboration with EarthQuaker Devices of Akron, Ohio, and in parallel with their new album ‘Life Metal’. Designed and manufactured by EarthQuaker Devices, the Life Pedal is the company’s’ first artist-focused pedal, reflecting an extension of the concept, tones and the colour of sound present in Sunn O)))’s most recent LP.
You can order the Life Pedal exclusively from The Official Sunn O))) Reverb Shop hosted by Reverb.com here. Check out the Life Pedal here.
In the writing sessions for ‘Life Metal’, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson worked extensively shearing their tones toward a broader energy spectrum over high powered saturation and across planes of sonic character, with the ambition to take full advantage of Steve Albini’s (the recording engineer for the album) exacting capture skills.
The results are astounding: there is breadth and luminosity of colour, vast sonic cosmoses, flashes of abstract colour (synthetic and objective) through resulting themes which emerged from the mastered depths of saturation and circuits between the two players and their mountains of gear.
The Life Pedal is designed to represent the core front end chain used in those sessions, to drive the tubes of the band’s multiple vintage Sunn O))) Model T amplifiers (or take your fancy) into overload ecstasy.
This is a 100w tube amp full stack’s holy dream, or its apostate nightmare. An octave fuzz inspired by the Shin-Ei FY2 & FY6 units leads the circuit into a LM308 chipped and brutal rodent big box distortion, recreated with the best components, and including a three-way clipping switch (op Amp, Asymmetric & Symmetric). Second stage is a purely clean boost to further overdrive the preamp tubes of your vintage system into-scaped harmonics, and feedback overtone bliss.
Chasms are cleared, mountains sheared, glaciers calved, novæ birthed. Vintage valve amplifiers recommended.
SUNN O))) released ‘Life Metal,’ via Southern Lord on April 26, 2019. ‘Life Metal’ is being supported by SUNN O)))’s forthcoming Summer European shows and a tour of the UK.
Summer shows – Europe
July 30 Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg w/ Caspar Brotzmann
July 31 Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg w/ Caspar Brotzmann
August 1 Amsterdam, NL @ Dekmantel festival
September 2019 – U.S. West Coast
September 1 Dallas, TX @ Granada *
September 2 Austin, TX @ Emo’s *
September 4 Denver, CO @ The Gothic *
September 7 Phoenix, AZ @ Arcosanti *
September 8 Los Angeles, CA @ The Mayan *
September 9 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
September 11 Seattle, WA @ Showbox ^
September 12 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
September 15. Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Forever *Shoshin (初心) Duo
* w/ Papa M, Big|Brave
^ w/ Papa M
October 2019 – Europe + UK
October 7 Munich, DE @ Backstage Werk %
October 8 Karlsruhe, DE @ HfG / ZKM %
October 9 Basel, CH @ Kaserne Basel – Rosstall %
October 10 Leipzig, DE @ Felsenkeller %
October 11 Krakow, PL @ Unsound Festival
October 13 Vilnius, LT @ Kablys %
October 14 Tallinn, EE @ Vene Theatre %
October 15 Helsinki, FI @ Kulttuuritalo %
October 17 Stockholm, SE @ Kraken
October 18 Oslo, NO @ Kulturkirchen Jakob
October 19 Oslo, NO @ Blä *duo show (Greg and Stephen only)
October 21 Copenhagen, DK @ Koncerthuset
October 22 Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
October 24 Bristol, UK @ SWX
October 25 Glasgow, UK @ QMU
October 26 Birmingham, UK @ The Crossing
October 27 Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
October 28 London, UK @ Roundhouse
% w/ Caspar Brötzmann Bass Totem
UK tour
10/24/2019 SWX – Bristol, UK [info]
10/25/2019 QMU – Glasgow, UK [info]
10/26/2019 The Crossing – Birmingham, UK [info]
10/27/2019 Albert Hall – Manchester, UK [info]
10/28/2019 Roundhouse – London, UK [info]
