Pyroclasts (album)

Pyroclasts is the ninth studio album by drone metal band Sunn O))).[1] The album was released through Southern Lord Records on October 25, 2019. Life Metal was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini (Nirvana, Neurosis, Godspeed You! Black Emperor) entirely using analog tape. In addition to Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley, the album features collaborators Tos Nieuwenhuizen, Tim Midyett and Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Pyroclasts
Studio album by
Sunn O)))
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
RecordedJuly 2018
StudioElectrical Audio
(Chicago, Illinois)
GenreDrone metal
Length43:56
LabelSouthern Lord (SUNN333)
ProducerGreg Anderson, Stephen O'Malley
Sunn O))) chronology
Life Metal
(2019)		 Pyroclasts
(2019)

Pyroclasts was written and recorded alongside what has been described as a "sister album"[2] or a "fraternal twin"[3] album titled Life Metal that was released six months earlier on April 26, 2019. Sunn O))) plus additional collaborators live recorded a new 11-minute improvised drone session at the start or end of each day during the recording of Life Metal. Pyroclasts is a collection of four of those tracks.[4] The title refers to volcanic airborne pyroclastic rock.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
The 4058/10[7]
AllMusic[8]
Classic Rock3/10[9]
Consequence of SoundB[10]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[11]
Mojo[12]
Pitchfork8.0/10[13]
PopMatters8/10[14]
Uncut8/10[15]

Upon its release, Life Metal received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Life Metal received an average score of 74, based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[6] In the review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote that "The forward evolution of Life Metal has been balanced and extended into a mercurial spirit through formless, receptive interaction on Pyroclasts."[8]

Jason Anderson of Uncut praised the album, writing that "The results may comprise the most finely distilled example of Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson's deconstruction of heavy metal riffage, with each of these tracks demonstrating the infinite varieties of fuzz and rumble that exist within a single mighty note."[15]

Classic Rock gave the album a 3/10 score, writing, "Four 11-minute 'improvised modal drones' recorded by Steve Albini during the Life Metal sessions for which we're supposed to be grateful. This is why punk happened. Get a grip."[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson[16].

No.TitleLength
1."Frost (C)"10:55
2."Kingdoms (G)"11:04
3."Ampliphædies (E)"11:03
4."Ascension (A)"10:54

Personnel

Pyroclasts personnel adapted from LP liner notes.[16]

Sunn O)))

  • Greg Anderson – electric guitar
  • Stephen O'Malley – electric guitar, electric bass guitar

Additional musicians

Production

Artwork and design

  • Samantha Keely Smith – paintings

References
  1. Minsker, Evan (August 28, 2019). "Sunn O))) Announce New Album Pyroclasts". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  2. Ludwig, Jamie (April 18, 2019). "First Listen: Sunn O))), 'Life Metal'". NPR. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  3. Hernandez 2019, p. 33
  4. Slingerland, Calum (August 28, 2019). "Sunn O))) Ready New Album 'Pyroclasts'". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  5. Stanley, Terence (April 23, 2019). "Sunn O))) trade dark for light on Life Metal". Guitar Magazine. BandLab Technologies. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. "Pyroclasts by Sunn O))) Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  7. Dedman, Todd (October 28, 2019). "Review: Sunn O))) take a more meditative, luminescent approach on Pyroclasts". The 405. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  8. Jurek, Thom (October 25, 2019). "Sunn O))) – Pyroclasts | Songs, Reviews Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  9. "Sunn O))): Pyroclast". Classic Rock. No. 268. November 2019. p. 85.
  10. Pementel, Michael (October 23, 2019). "Sunn O))) Unleash Radiant Distortion on Pyroclasts". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  11. Lilly, Evan (October 30, 2019). "Pyroclasts is a fittingly accomplished conclusion to a monumental year for Sunn O)))". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  12. "Sunn O))): Pyroclasts". Mojo. No. 313. December 2019. p. 94.
  13. Martin-McCormick, Daniel (October 29, 2019). "Sunn O))): Pyroclasts". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  14. Stasis, Spyros (November 8, 2019). "Sunn O))) Revisit the World of 'Life Metal' with 'Pyroclasts'". PopMatters. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  15. Anderson, Jason (November 2019). "Sunn O))): Pyroclasts". Uncut. No. 270. p. 33.
  16. Pyroclasts (Media notes). Southern Lord Records. 2019. LP liner notes. SUNN333.
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