Well, goodness. It’s been a while since I last sat my ass down to write a review.1 Now, there were Important Reasons for some of this (and other, less AMG-related, reasons for the rest). Unlike me, Aaron Turner is not someone you could accuse of having a shabby work ethic. Best known as the frontman of post-metal legends Isis, Turner has numerous current and past bands, as well as having founded Hydra Head Records and more. He has fronted atmospheric sludge trio Sumac for a decade now and, somewhat remarkably, the band’s line-up has stayed consistent for that period too, with Turner joined by bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists). Their 2015 debut, The Deal, got a very positive review here from, of all people, Dr. A.N. Grier. Less surprisingly, Sumac’s third outing,2 Love in Shadow, was showered with praise by the reviewer formerly known as Akerblogger, who described it as “unique and undeniably powerful.”
Sticking with our tradition of reviewing every other Sumac record,3 I am here to help you digest fifth album, The Healer.4 This gargantuan record is healing in much the same way a serious car crash, followed by a prolonged and medically induced coma, is healing. Sumac’s longest outing to date, The Healer is a sprawling affair, as wandering, static-laced noise, introspective warblings and languid, dawdling melodies swirl and eddy around bludgeoning, rough-hewn sludge. This will come as no surprise to fans of Sumac. Their work is an experience, and one you have to allow to wash over you and pull you under. Like the tide coming in, The Healer surrounds and submerges you, before washing you away to distant shores, where it leaves you broken on the rocks. It sets out to explore the parallel experiences of creation and destruction, emphasizing periods of expansion and contraction, corruption and regrowth. Comprising only four “songs,” and clocking in at 76 minutes, Sumac allows this album to breathe.
Opener “World of Light” is already six minutes old before drawn-out electronica, static, and free-form drum fills are joined in the mix by something resembling a riff and Turner’s trademark, sulphuric roar. For over 25 minutes, this first track slides in and out of focus, as sonorous notes are left to hang in the air. Sometimes these fade off into the ether, sometimes they are replaced by a surprisingly clean, melodic note, at others still you slam into an abrupt wall of sludge. In some ways, The Healer is like a more melodic, less unrelentingly bleak, version of Old Man Gloom’s No. It’s the album’s middle two cuts—each just shy of 13 minutes long—that particularly showcase this. “Yellow Dawn” opens to ponderous percussion and rising reverb, which gradually opens up into a bluesy guitar line that recalls, of all things, the opening to Kyuss’ “Whitewater.” Unlike that track, however, which builds into a stoner blues classic, “Yellow Dawn” morphs into a jagged, unrelenting sledgehammer, that slams into you, over and over. “New Rites” has more overtly sludgy overtones from the outset but gradually descends into full-blown chaos and cacophony as it progresses, with Sumac slowly hauling its scattered pieces back together at its conclusion.
The Healer’s closer, “The Stone’s Turn,” is another 25-minute beast, which opens as its counterpart, opener “World of Light”, finished: raw and crushing. More ponderous, contemplative notes and melodies gradually leak back in, before a bass-driven urgency overtakes and the record throws itself toward its close. This album is not an easy listen, but it’s a rewarding one. Not nearly as bleak as it first appears, there are deep seams of silvery melody to be mined here, if you’re willing to smash through the jagged walls of sludge, and sift the electronic slag. Cook’s bass is instrumental in providing something vaguely resembling structure, while Scott Evans’ production is raw and organic, giving Sumac the textures and layers needed for this style to work. At only DR5, however, The Healer is loud, where perhaps just a little more sonic nuance could have been deployed but this is such a minor gripe, it’s hardly worth mentioning.
If you know Sumac, The Healer will do nothing to change your current opinion of them, whatever that may be. If you’re new to Sumac, you’ll know within a few minutes whether you’re up for the ride that they’re offering. Abrasive, spiky, challenging, and curiously beautiful, The Healer’s pulsing, percussive, almost-free-form experimentation is like Isis’ Celestial on a bad acid trip. And I’m all in on this one.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Thrill Jockey
Websites: sumac.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/sumacband
Releases Worldwide: June 21st, 2024
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