Sunn O))) unleashes signature EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal

Drone-metal legends Sunn O))) are known for their impossibly crushing electric guitar tones, and now the elusive band have collaborated with EarthQuaker Devices to capture those earth-shattering sounds with the Life Pedal.

EarthQuaker’s first artist-focused pedal, the Life Pedal is designed to capture the sound of the front-end chain used on Sunn O)))’s new album, Life Metal - which, of course, was running into vintage Sunn O))) Model T amps for the sessions.

The Life Pedal boasts an octave fuzz inspired by Shine-Ei’s FY2 and FY6 units, running straight into an LM308-loaded Rat-style distortion, which includes a clipping switch for op amp, asymmetric and symmetric.

This then leads into a second stage of clean boost to further overdrive the amp preamp. EQD has dubbed the pedal “a 100W tube amp full stack’s holy dream, or its apostate nightmare”.

The Sunn O))) Life Pedal is highly limited and available now from Reverb for $249/£205 - at least it was, but it looks like stock has already run out.

We’re hoping EarthQuaker Devices will produce more of these to satisfy the drones of the masses…

Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

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