Sunn O)))’s records are nice, but you really need to experience the doom-drone duo live to fully appreciate the oppressive majesty of their music. When I saw them at Neumos in 2005, their sonic warfare electrified my ear hairs and rippled my pants nonstop. Using Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version as a springboard, guitarists Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson have wrung many subtle variations on that 1993 Earth album’s ambient-metal blueprint. The new full-length, Life Metal, might be Sunn O)))’s cleanest dirge blast yet. Let’s hope they bring the triangle that illuminated LP highlight “Troubled Air.” Papa M—former Slint, Tortoise, The For Carnation guitarist David Pajo—opens. by Dave Segal