Sunn O)))

<p>We’ve featured loud rigs. We’ve stood strong in front of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/rig-rundown-sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Matt Pike’s octet of Oranges</a>, been washed over with waves of volume from Angus Young’s nine Marshalls for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/rig-rundown-ac-dc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AC/DC’s “small gig setup”</a>&nbsp;in an arena, trembled from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundowns/dinosaur-jr-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J Mascis’ three plexi full stacks</a>, and even withstood&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/videos/rig-rundowns/joe-bonamassa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bonamassa’s barrage of seven amps</a>&nbsp;at the Ryman, but nothing prepared us or compared to the Godzilla-rising-from-the-Pacific roar that is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/drone-alone-the-savage-soundscapes-of-sunn-o" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunn O)))</a>’s auditory artillery. And it’s more than the sheer sight of 14 amps and 16 cabs or the dishing of deafening decibels; it’s the interplay of these characters and their conductors.</p><p>“The third member of the band is the amplifiers!”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/drone-alone-the-savage-soundscapes-of-sunn-o" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">laughed Greg Anderson in a 2014 interview with&nbsp;<em>PG</em></a>. “We use vintage Sunn Model Ts from the early ’70s. They’re a crucial part of the show. I’ve got more amps than I have guitars.”</p><p>Stephen O’Malley takes a more metaphysical outlook to the connection between him and the thundering Model Ts. “My philosophy is that I’m just part of this bigger circuit of the instrumentation,” he says. “You have, of course, the amplifier valves, the speaker, effects pedals acting like different and various voltage filters, the air in the room, and the feedback generated from all this equipment, so who’s in the band is im