Sunn O))): Metta, Benevolence BBC 6Music: Live on the Invitation of Mary Anne Hobbs (digital, Southern Lord, November 2021)

I saw Sunn O))) at All Tomorrow’s Parties once. There was a deeply hooded figure huddled at the front of the stage chanting while they did their drone metal thing, and there was a rumour going around that it was Julian Cope, who was also playing the festival. There was another rumour going around that the first rumour was bollocks. Whoever the mystery vocalist was, it was brilliant.

Well, we know who it is on the ominous ommms on the first two of the three tracks here, as well as playing a synthesizer which samples a Baroque pipe organ: it’s Anna von Hausswolff. Do you want to guess how excited I was when I first heard about this? Very. I was very excited. And I am pleased to report that this collaboration (which they honed when she was playing with them on a tour a couple of years ago) is everything I hoped it would be. The third track is cracking, too: there’s no Hausswolff here, but there is a rather bewitching bit where Steve Moore (who is another one of the battalion of synth players here) breaks out a trombone, the plangent tone contrasting beautifully with the bassy rumbles. Excellent work, everyone.

I bought this on Bandcamp.