TWO BEASTS

Description

For the uninitiated, “Two Beasts” is a comprehensive album of SUMAC’s state of affairs in late fall 2020. The songs touch on all of the elements that make the band unique. Gut-wrenching bass? Check. Indecipherable time signatures? Yep. Long empty pauses and repetitive structures? Yes. Gigantic grooves? For sure. "Two Beasts" is experimental metal at its apex, 18 minutes of left turns with enough payoff to make it worth the deep listen. The band's newfound love for negative space and jazz-inspired arrangements counterintuitively add an element of danger to the music. If big riffs are heavy music’s best friends and quiet moments its kryptonite, then SUMAC seems to operate by the adage “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” SUMAC’s recordings sound great. It’s hard to imagine music so brutal being so pleasing to listen to, and it’s a major element that differentiates SUMAC from their peers. Again recorded at The Unknown, a converted old church in the sleepy town of Anacortes, Washington, “Two Beasts” sounds both live and meticulously produced. These are musicians at the peak of their craft. Listening to “Two Beasts,” SUMAC is a band that seemingly can do anything.