Sumac shakes the Earth with What One Becomes

With a collective résumé of Isis (the band), Old Man Gloom, Baptists, Botch, and Russian Circles, it would be understandable if Sumac never emerged from the shadow of its members’ past achievements. But the band transcends its supergroup status with What One Becomes. Sumac’s first LP, The Deal, is an angular mindfuck, though it also bleeds outside the lines—a bit too much. What One Becomes harnesses the same elements and forges them into a unified planet of molten lead.
Noisy escarpments open “Image Of Control.” Underneath, Aaron Turner howls like a delirious mountain man. After three minutes of abstract chaos, the guitarist plays a series of delicate high notes, but only to decimate that beauty with an oddly timed mudslide. Drummer Nick Yacyshyn finds that rare balance between heaviness and technical dexterity, leaning back against the beat while also executing adroit fills. Much like Troy Sanders of Mastodon, Brian Cook is a crux, brilliantly emphasizing Yacyshyn’s chaotic drumming and Turner’s guitar work—often with the notes he chooses not to play. “Image Of Control” climaxes in jagged, Meshuggah-style stutter steps, a section that’s intensified by an avalanche of Yacyshyn’s polyrhythmic rolls.