by Hugo Reyes (@hvreyes5)
On May You Be Held, Sumac explores the limits of what’s possible using only the bare essentials--that being a guitar, bass, and drum set. It’s an exercise in minimalism, even though the music at times feels gigantic. When “A Prayer For Your Path” plays, you are enveloped in a soundscape that is all consuming. All you hear for several minutes is droning feedback. The intentions are therefore clear: this is not background noise to soundtrack another day of office drudgery. Deep listening and your full attention is not only needed but required.
Aaron Turner has earned that little amount of respect as the front person/guitarist for post-metal band ISIS and founder of Hydra Head Records. His works are dense but deeply rewarding, sometimes only really making sense after many listens. Oceanic and Panopticon still stand as monumental works, and paved the way for a subset of metal that was still in bloom during the aughts. Instead of resting on those laurels, Turner only moves forward, always trying to push into the unknown, where the possibility of failure can loom. When Sumac was formed, it was a new chapter for Turner, using metal to explore his own inner unrest.
The only difference is of course all the life that’s happened in the following decade. Turner is now 42 and has a wife and a kid, which informs much of what runs throughout May You Be Held. His lyrics are humanist, trying to balance the inner self versus the outer world, knowing how much is outside of our control. The title track interrogates that fear directly. “What is to come/And what will be left?/After fires are swallowed by the floods” The lead single “The Iron Chair” wrestles with achieving inner harmony while the outside world is in continuous tumult.
Of course, Turner doesn’t do all this work on his own. What marks the project is that there is a spirit of collaboration, with Sumac drummer Nick Yacyshyn and bassist Brian Cook. “A Prayer for Your Path” only came about when the band entered the studio. Those little decisions makes the record even more naturalistic. There are no overdubs or fancy producing tricks to be found here. May You Be Held is the result of three seasoned musicians coming together in a room to play music, and what you hear is the end result.