Album Type: Full
Length
Date Released: 11/10/2016
Label:
Argonauta Records |
Tartarus
Records
Suma have proved that, over fifteen years on from their formation,
they can still challenge listeners, in terms of their expectations and their
open-mindedness. This is a sprawling record that impresses, uplifts, and
imparts melancholia in equal measure. It’s a feat, and one that makes it sorely
apparent that the Malmo
“The Order of Things” CD//CS//DD//LP
track listing:
1). The Sick Present
2). Bait For Maggots
3). RPA
4). Being and/or Nothingness
5). Education for Death
6). Disorder of Things
7). The Greater Dying
The Review:
Suma are one
of those acts who have a clearly defined trajectory in terms of their sound.
Over the years they have stepped away from the ‘stoner’ vibes that permeated
the likes of second LP “Let the Churches Burn” like a dense
weed fug, and moved further towards the depths of the drone/doom spectrum.
Latest release, “The Order of Things”, is ten years apart from “Let
the Churches Burn”, and if you listened to both piecemeal, you’d be
forgiven for thinking they were both conjured by different artists.
‘The
Sick Present’ is sparse. Echoing drum hits and slowly swelling
chords build tension and no little dread, unhurried and predatory. We get our
first taste of Suma’s
penchant for using samples (something that has featured throughout their
career), but these spoken word clips sit frustratingly low in the mix, at times
muddled, perhaps deliberately frustrating and mysterious.
‘Bait For
Maggots’ beeps an alarm before rising feedback explodes
into a chugging, rolling riff and sampled number-station command strings.
Propelled by tom heavy drums, the instruments are joined by distant, bellowed
screams. Things expand out, tremolo guitars adding a sense of broad physical
scope that could rival Neurosis, before locking into a hypnotic,
repetitive riff that’s like Mastodon played at half the speed. ‘RPA’
drives hard, throwing down a tone that is thick and gnarled, but not
bludgeoning, allowing each instrument its own breathing space. It’s densely
layered, breathless and galloping, and features some gurgling, gruff vocals
that sound like Matt Pike in a well (in a good way).
‘Being
And/Or Nothingness’ is where things get unsettling – a collage
of backmasked howls, wails and ringing layered loops that is actually
uncomfortable to listen to. ‘Education for Death’ drags us back
in with an immediate stomper of a riff that gradually slows into the doomiest
cut on the record. Held notes ring almost infinitely, and it becomes a test of
attrition, asking how long you can stare into the bleak void. ‘Disorder
Of Things’ is a shorter, sharper affair, bristling with a muscular,
chugging riff that whips itself into a thundering frenzy backed by a
shuddering, unstoppable drum performance.
‘The
Greater Dying’ is absolutely breath taking. Jangling, echoing
guitars add a moment of clarity that slowly grows into a cosmic, dramatic post
rock rumble that lifts into a cacophonous maelstrom. It’s punctuated by
anguished shouts into the swelling void, and moves dynamically, with layers
falling away, only to come back stronger, changed, and never diminished.
Suma have
proved that, over fifteen years on from their formation, they can still
challenge listeners, in terms of their expectations and their open-mindedness.
This is a sprawling record that impresses, uplifts, and imparts melancholia in
equal measure. It’s a feat, and one that makes it sorely apparent that the Malmo crew deserves much more recognition then they are
afforded.
“The Order of Things” is available here
