Sumac - The Deal (Digipak CD)
SUMAC (USA) - The Deal (2014) (sealed Digipak CD). Since disbanding his seminal Post-Metal act ISIS, Aaron Turner has broadened the scope of his work with groups like Old Man Gloom and Mamiffer. The debut from his latest project, SUMAC, which also features contributions from Russian Circles bassist Brian Cook, finds him at his most sonically aggressive in years.
"The Deal" capitalizes on an energy of unease, building from moments of fractured disquiet into a tumult of guitar tones and the disjointed rhythmic patterns of drummer Nick Yacyshyn (of Canadian Crust Punkers, Baptists). By and large, the risks that are taken here pay off, with the approach offering a sound familiar enough to speak to the individual band members’ strengths, and vulnerable enough to see those singular characteristics take on something darker and more ferocious. **originally published on pitchfork.com** Profound Lore Records – PFL -147