Life Metal

Life Metal, one of two albums Sunn O))) recorded in 2019 with Steve Albini behind the boards, is one of their most grandiose, room-filling efforts, despite not featuring the cast of thousands heard on Monoliths & Dimensions a decade earlier. Other than Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, the only musicians present are Tos Nieuwenhuizen on synth, Tim Midyett on bass, Anthony Pateras on pipe organ (recorded outside of Albini’s studio, presumably), and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir, whose contributions to the opening “Between Sleipnir’s Breaths” are stunningly beautiful. Her vocals are almost a murmur, floating above the core duo’s massive power chords like an angel hovering over a battlefield to soothe the dying, as her amplified cello cuts through the murk like a laser.