Sunn O)))’s feedback architect Stephen O’Malley cranks the amps even louder on his solo vinyl LP Dread Live. This is an extended and extremely loud improvisation for solo guitar (though the colossal heaviness sounds like an army of guitarists). Relentless waves of heavy drones and squeals bombard the listener; the man has turned distortion into an artform.
The minimalist electric guitar mantra Dread Live was performed at Studio Helmbreker in Haarlem, Netherlands, September 2013, and recorded by Mathijs Ton on a hypercardiod ribbon mic with immaculate 70’s valve amp back line and technical support by the great Tos Nieuwenhuisen. The set was programmed as part of the opening of the Dread - Fear in the age of technological Acceleration exhibition at De Hallen Haarlem, curated by Juha Van’t Zelfde.

It renders 40 minutes of Sunn 0)))’s O’Malley at his most depressive and heavy and is something akin to a slow-motion baptism by waves of tarry, blackened harmonic distortion, holding us under ’til we nearly pass-out from its sinking pressure. Needless to say - it’s insanely good.