I would have never expected to see Sunn O))) for a second time this year after their Grimmrobe Sessions in Rotterdam just a few months back. But in support of the brand new album Monoliths and Dimensions the band flew over almost right after their American tour with the same support; Eagle Twin. Time for an evening full of smoke and drones!

But time for some doom/sludge first! Duo Eagle Twin literally blew me away as I arrived a little late and didn’t hear any soundcheck. While still talking with some people the band suddenly kicked in their first track and the guitarist was apparently connected to the Sunn O))) backline. And believe me, that’s a nice toy! The band recently signed to Sunn O)))’s Southern Lord label and released The Unkindness of Crows just a few months ago. They had a pretty long slot of 40 minutes or so to showcase their brand new tracks and did it very well. Even though the band only contains a drummer and guitarist/vocalist, Eagle Twin barely got boring except for a bit of an unnecessary drum solo in the middle of the set. I couldn’t think of a better way to start the evening. Doooom!

 

If you have never seen a live performance of Sunn O))) before, I’d recommend you to write this down on your “to do before I die list”. The first and already very impressing Sunn O))) gig I witnessed a few months back in Rotterdam was a very plain set of just Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley, but this time they invited Attila (from Mayhem) and Steve Moore (from Earth) as well to join them on stage. The set started with a very long CD-intro of about 10 minutes before Greg and Stephen entered the stage for some instrumental Sunn O))) drones. Singer Attila joined soon afterwards, mainly to support the tracks from Monoliths and Dimensions like ‘Big Church’, ‘Agetha’ and ‘Hunting and Gathering’. Attila, known for his weird suits each and every time, entered the stage with the regular Sunn O))) robe but soon changed clothing to sci-fi lookalike masks, hats and weird lasers. A lot of show to see on stage compared to the last set I’ve seen from them, but sometimes it just got a little too weird for a show like this. Attila’s voice was a great addition to the set though, ranging from choir-like vocals to heavy growls and squeels. I was a little skeptic about the sound before the show but from the moment Eagle Twin started playing it was absolutely perfect and above all, very loud! Some say this Sunn O))) gig was a little too accessible, mainly because of Attila stealing the show, but in my opinion this is the best line-up you can witness from Sunn O))). Unless Striborg will ever make a guest-appearance of course!