\n<\/p>\n
Perhaps it was never realistic to assume Sumac<\/a><\/strong> would be ordinary, as it joins Aaron Turner<\/strong> with Baptists<\/a><\/strong> drummer Nick Yacyshyn<\/strong> and bassist Brian Cook<\/strong> (Russian Circles<\/a><\/strong>, ex-Botch<\/a><\/strong>). Turner<\/strong>\u2019s background in acts like Isis<\/a><\/strong> and Old Man Gloom<\/a><\/strong> run the gamut of post-metal, sludge, and weirdo hardcore certainly lends him to a more imaginative view of crushing riffs.<\/p>\n Still, there has been a bit of a line in the sand drawn in Sumac<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s career \u2014 pre-Keiji Haino<\/strong> and post-Keiji Haino<\/strong>. Their initial collaboration<\/a> with the Japanese experimentalist seems to have inspired them to push past the prog-ish sludge metal found in 2016\u2019s What One Becomes<\/em>. Sumac<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>\u2019s approach to Love In Shadow<\/em><\/a> (2018) and May You Be Held<\/em><\/a> (2020) had as much to do with free improvisation and noisy sound sculptures as it did with bludgeoning heaviness. The payoff has remained worth the trial of jumping off the deep end, but their latest album The Healer<\/em> might be a good starting point for uninitiated listeners.<\/p>\n The main argument for The Healer<\/em>\u2019s relative palatability isn\u2019t that it\u2019s more orthodox, but that its longer length and shorter track list lends itself to a slower burn than some of its predecessors. Granted, that also means that 7 minutes of the 26-minute \u201cWorld of Light\u201d is dedicated to droning feedback. Much like similarly abstract doom bands like Khanate, these moments of space and non-motion generate a lulling ambiance and build tension before a cathartic burst of energy.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s a flurry of untethered percussion and protracted guitar strains, or a more recognizable doom metal stomp, a cathartic release remains at the center of Sumac<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s well-chosen arrival points. Some of this comes from Turner<\/strong>\u2019s vocals, delivering some of his most animalistic performances to date through unsetting howls, bestial growls, and throaty snarls. But much of it comes from the surprising memorability of the riffs once they fully materialize. It\u2019s been a while since \u201ccatchy\u201d could describe Sumac<\/a><\/strong>, but they\u2019ve somehow provided just enough footholds in the choppy waters. It might take 20 minutes to get there, but it\u2019s quite satisfying once it all comes together. There\u2019s even some Mastodon<\/a><\/strong>-ish shredding at the close\u2014a surprise after such a journey, but a welcome one.<\/p>\n \n