Doom/Stoner Metallers Sun Below have already built a great reputation within the underground scene over the last few years due to their acclaimed releases from both fans and critics alike.
The band have a more Drugged Out Effect with their music or what can best be described as Sativa Rock.
Sun Below will be releasing their split album Terra Solis with fellow Canadian Doom/Stoner Metallers Earth Below on September 15th 2023.
I caught up with the band to discuss the evolution of the band's music and how the new album came together.
Hi guys. Thanks for doing the interview. How are things with you all today.
Doing great!
For people not in the know, can you provide a brief history of how the band came together and where it is today.
Sun Below formed out of a collective impulse to play and create crushingly heavy, stoner doom music reminiscent of Black Sabbath, Sleep, Electric Wizard, Red Fang, The Sword and Kyuss. A chance message to a Kijiji posting in 2017 led to the birth of the initial lineup of the band which took form as a power trio soon after. Through three initial EPs and consistent live performances in the GTA, we were able to hone into our signature stoner doom “sativa rock” sound, culminating in our full-length self titled debut released in November 2021. Our current lineup of Jason Craig (Guitar and Vocals), Will Adams (Drums) and Liam “Acid Goblin” Gray (Bass) have been going strong writing and performing since emerging from the shadow of COVID in late 2021.
How would you describe your music in your own words.
Sun Below is a stoner/doom “sativa” rock power trio, a combination of big riffs, fuzzed out guitars, crushing drums and driving, groove laden bass. Encapsulated within our sound are spaced-out psych vibes, the up-tempo groove of stoner rock, and the unyielding heaviness of doom metal.
We're here to talk about your new split album Inter Terra Solis with Earth Altar. What can people expect from the album.
Fans can expect a cohesive and complimentary split which blends planet crushing doom, ethereal beauty, progressive structures, mesmerizing riffs and thoroughly developed lore. The story of Inter Terra Solis centres around a transcendental journey of self discovery through lost passageways below the surface of the Earth, framed against the backdrop of eventual cosmic doom from the Red Giant Sun. The themes and respective sides of the record were crafted to work individually and as part of a greater whole, and we hope fans will appreciate the balance and the vibe.
How did that split album come about
Back in September of 2022, we played a show at Bar Orwell in Toronto which featured Earth Altar flying out from Halifax for the gig. The show was put on by Ryan of Pale Horse Productions and Black Throne Productions and following the show, he hosted a meeting with both bands and pitched the idea of a split recording. The vibe from that night was all we needed in order to agree.
Did you always want to work with Earth Altar
Once the show in Toronto was concluded and we got a feel for Earth Altar’s style and the possibilities of how a collaboration could sound and how the bands could compliment one another, we were all in for the idea as soon as it was pitched.
What formats is the new album being released upon.
The record will be available on vinyl in three colour variants, being Black Hole, Ruby Flare and Emerald Green, with each variant tying into the lore of the record, as well as digitally.
Why was the new album called Inter Terra Solis. Any specific meaning to both bands at all.
The title of the album means literally between Earth and Sun in latin, lending to the duality of the record and the lore.
Was this an easy or hard release to and write for compared to your own albums.
The writing for this record was more or less equal to writing a record on our own. We had one track already written that ended up being repurposed and becoming Red Giant, while the other tracks were written and finalized right up until the recording sessions. Methuselah Star was actually finalized in the second recording session basically on the spot, which led to multiple incarnations of the track (an interlude on the record, a single version, a to be released extended version).
The truly inspiring part and what differentiated this writing process the most from previous works was the lore and concepts developed over many discussions with Earth Altar and also Ryan and Zack from the label Black Throne Productions. Earth Altar had crafted a story of a transcendental journey of self discovery through the depths of the Earth’s surface, culminating in a transformation from flesh to light. Our side then sought to compliment their side by introducing the impetus for the journey in the first place, being the unpredictable nature of the universe and the mysteries of the cosmos, shrouded in the knowledge that one day the Sun will devolve into a Red Giant and consume the Earth itself.
Your debut self-titled release album gathered some cool praise within the underground scene. Did that surprise you in anyway.
I think by the time it was released, we were pretty confident with that material, as at least half of it had appeared on earlier EPs, and those songs had really settled into the right tempo and feel over time. The new material written for that album had been honed over the course of 2020 when it was all we could do but rehearse and flesh out the concept centred around the Holy Drifter and associated time travel paradoxes. I think the praise we received from some of the better known publications (The Obelisk, Doomed and Stoned, Outlaws of the Sun) was definitely gratifying, as was our placement on the Doom Charts, but with all the work that went into putting that album together, we were really pleased with it and felt like it had the potential to draw some attention.
Looking back at your debut album. Would you change anything about it?
There were some questions about the decision to re-record material from our earlier two EPs, Black Volume II and III, but those songs deserved a proper recorded version as the tempos changed significantly, especially Holy Drifter, following the release of the EPs, so we think we made the right call. We were also able to take previously unrelated songs and work them all into a complete concept.
This is less so to do with the album itself and was sort of out of our hands but I believe that just as it was released, we went into another COVID lockdown, so perhaps we could have held off on the release until things opened up more for live shows to help with promotion, but those things were ultimately out of our hands anyway.
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What is the creative process or setup within the band? Do you write the music together or do certain people within the band do that
It is a pretty organic process and a lot of our material just comes out through loose jamming. Often times someone will have a few riffs or a general idea and as we start to jam it out, we work on modifying the groove or the pace or add in different sections, then work up some more ideas based on those jams individually to bring back to the next practice. Occasionally someone will have a more fleshed out song structure right off the bat, but here are always little arrangement tweaks and subtleties that get added as the song rounds into form.
Even now it can still be helpful to switch on a phone recorder and capture loose jams to pick up certain bits that can be worked on in the future.
Will you be promoting the new album with upcoming gigs. If so, where can people see you live.
We have a local Toronto release show on the 15th, and a run of gigs in Quebec with Earth Altar, as follows:
September 15 at Bar Orwell, Toronto with Ol’ Time Moonshine, Muffler Crunch and Cannabus
September 21 at Turbo Haus, Montreal with Earth Altar and Bootlegger
September 22 at Scanner Bistro, Quebec with Earth Altar and Bootlegger
September 23 at Les Bières Philosophales, Mirabel with Earth Altar
September 24 at Avant-Garde Bar, Ottawa with The Cosmic Crypt and Rotual
What is the live Sun Below experience like.
We try to bring to the audience a crushing wall of sound which melds the upbeat energy of stoner rock with the weight and tone of doom metal. We invite our fans and listeners into the vibe and headspace of the music and try to strike a balance between infectious groove, weighty doom and Iommic style riffs. We also try to lean into the visual aspect of gear worship by showcasing our collection of unique and vintage guitar amps, bass amps, speaker cabinets and drums.
You guys are from Toronto in Canada. What is the local live scene there. Do you have a live scene to perform gigs on a regular basis or do you have to travel further afield.
Since emerging from COVID restrictions, we have seen a return to form for the local scene. We are extremely grateful to Pale Horse Productions for bringing together the “Doomunity” by putting together tailored stoner and doom metal gigs with fantastic local bands like Aawks, Low Orbit, Ol’time Moonshine, Astral Witch, Black Absinthe, Witchrot, Tumble and The Electric Cactus, and a steady stream of great out of town bands to build up cross border relationships such as Sons of Arrakis, Occult Witches, Doom ‘an Blue and of course our split mates Earth Altar. We primarily play live in downtown Toronto and Hamilton markets.
What bands or artists influenced you to pick up an instrument and to become a musician.
Our collective major influences are Black Sabbath, Sleep, Led Zeppelin, Electric Wizard, The Sword, Red Fang, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Motorhead, just to name a few!
Do you guys have any side projects that folks can check out.
Will and Liam both play in desert hard rock band The Electric Cactus and Will plays drums in the heavy rock band Tumble.
Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom for your fans currently out there.
Listen to Black Sabbath!
Words by Steve Howe and Sun Below
Thanks to Curtis at C Squared Music for arranging this interview and to Sun Below for doing the Interview.
Terra Solis is available to buy on DD/Vinyl via Black Throne Productions from September 15th 2023.
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