I tried this one out but it's pretty firmly in "I don't get it" territory.

Album Rating: 2.5

"Why do you think it's not?"

I've just submitted a review, because the album made a bit sad and I felt compelled to vent.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

This rules, the ending to Consumed is one of the best moments in their discography IMO

Hell yeah. Hopefully this is better than Love In Shadow (minus Arching Silver). Who does their artwork for the last two albums? Shit is INSANE.

You do the good words. Spiritual pos.

Aaron Turner does all the art

Oh nice, didn't know he did art like that. Kinda want some prints of the artwork to put on my wall.

Yeah I'm looking up his stuff now. Dude is even more amazing than I thought. Also, i'm sad this album isn't on spotify yet

I tried to get into them but not much luck so far. Which album should I check first?

Album Rating: 4.5

“What One Becomes” then “Love In Shadow”



you should get the general idea of what they’re going for here after.



metal in free form

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

What One Becomes is a massive banger if you're looking for something that's more composed and less prone to the noise/ambient interludes. Blows my mind what they were able to do as a three piece on that album.

Album Rating: 4.3

Cheers for reading all, and thanks for the feature powers that be

Figured this one would be divisive. For those new to the band (incl. Johnnyboi if I'm not too late) I'd say What One Becomes is a better starting point

What One Becomes is one of my albums of the decade! I truly can't find anything that scratches quite that itch tbh.

Apparently the album will not be on Spotify. Quote from Thrill Jockey's Mike Boyd:

>“Apologies for the confusion y’all. The iron chair was up as a single before the decision was made to not have the album on Spotify. The album BEING on Spotify was a glitch, which I had to fix. After the pretty repugnant statements Spotify‘s CEO made earlier this year, the band asked that the album not be available on that platform.”

Album Rating: 4.5

that’s fair



glad I got apple music anyway. I have like thousands of records and it won’t cap me for saving more like spotify did. Yes I reached the limit on spotify.

Respect their decision and fuck the spotify dude.

But it sucks not to have it there.

Album Rating: 4.3

Ayy fuck spotify



FFO SUMAC improv, Swans, and absolutely deranged guitaring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNt084Evdkg

Having such a tough time rating this. Feels more akin to Love In Shadow in ambition, but even more extreme in the dichotomy of its experimentation. What One Becomes is still easily their most enjoyable listen (also one of my albums of the decade), but this is such ambitious, impressionistic music that I respect it and genuinely find myself contemplating it like the art gallery piece I think Turner intended it to be. The climax of both of the longform songs sent chills down my spine, and the opener felt like beautiful, moody horror scene-setting. They’re painting so abstractly with the metal genre and it really is something to behold, but hard to quantify. Great review.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

this album really pissed people off, huh?



this comes close to being my favorite Sumac, definitely better than Love in Shadow imo and just barely falls short of how much I liked WOB. definitely get why some folks don't like it, but if you're going to bitch and moan about ambient/improv sections why would you listen to anything Aaron Turner is involved in at all? like, considering he hasn't made a straight-ahead metal record since maybe the Red Sea...

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Why is it hard to imagine that there are people who do enjoy what you're referring to as "ambient/improv" and just think it doesn't work for them in this context?