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On ‘The Healer’, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists), the group deepens their multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of four tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth.

This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record - narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group’s interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act, embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors our ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which we may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of ‘The Healer’ may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honour the gift of existence.

“SUMAC are pushing metal in a direction so uncomfortable it may cease to be metal, into an openness that isn’t about saying “F*CK YOU!” the loudest. The result is some of [Aaron Turner’s] most exciting work since Isis disbanded.” - Pitchfork

“[SUMAC] has used a post-metal and sludge metal palette to paint a richly immersive musical journey into soundscapes of simmering tension with a shimmering and sincere self-reflection at the core.” - New Noise

TRACK LISTING

World Of Light
Yellow Dawn
New Rites
The Stone’s Turn