Sumac are by no means a mainstream band, but to metal fans in the know, its three members are scene gods. Vocalist and guitarist Aaron Turner once fronted the only-in-hindsight regrettably-named Isis, while bassist Brian Cook had handled low-string duties in legendary Tacoma foursome Botch before heading to Chicago and forming instru-metal unit Russian Circles. Rounding out the trio is locally-bred drum smasher Nick Yacyshyn, who also rages fast and hard in Vancouver crustcore deities Baptists. Fittingly, when Sumac were on a US tour earlier this month they decided to blast another supergroup through their van's speakers. Oddly, it was 2011's much-maligned Lulu album from Metallica and Lou Reed. But despite the lambasting that record received from critics and fans upon release, Yacyshyn insists it's not all bad.
"I will say this about Lulu: We listened to Death Magnetic, the other newest Metallica record, and we weren't a fan of that. We put on Lulu, and we liked it way more. There's actually so many good riffs," Yacyshyn tells theWestender from within Kitsilano's Rufus Drum Shop, where he's wrapped a shift behind the till.
Seated on one of the shop's many three-pronged drum stools, he recounts Sumac's recent, much-played van jams: "The Lou Reed part of it sucks, I can't stand it. It sounds like your drunk uncle wandered into your band jam and started talking into the mic about whatever just came into his mind."
Thankfully, Sumac's thunderously destructive sophomore set, the just-released What One Becomes, is a more well-thought out affair. Coming just one year after the group delivered their debut album, The Deal, the five-song follow-up further refines the epic ebb and flow of metal madness and post-rock pleasurescaping the act has to offer. Yacyshyn credits the change to bassist Cook being more involved in the making of the new album. Originally, Cooke had been billed as an "auxiliary member," in case he needed to bail to attend to Russian Circles, but the latest collection found the threesome writing together for the first time.
"He wasn't involved in any of the jamming or arranging, so it was a little disconnected," Yacyshyn allows. "This time around it was a three-piece band working on song structures together, brainstorming and going over things. It was a much more cohesive writing process."
While the threesome is interconnected, What One Becomes still offers a bit of freeform weirdness. The opening passage of "Image of Control" focuses on improv string squiggling and a Tasmanian Devil's spin of tom hits from Yacyshyn before ramping up towards its atonal stomp mosh and Turner's series guttural growls. "Rigid Man" is equally savage in its sound and vision, its lyrics detailing a soiled and chilled dead body, but the tune takes a comparatively-timid turn during its mid-section of light cymbal hits and moody, muted guitars. Yacyshyn notes this push-and-pull is essential to Sumac's sound. Patience, he notes, is key.
"If I get to a crescendo and I get too loud too quick, then I have to stay at a certain level or else it sounds empty," he notes of staying attuned to Turner's volume-shifting six-string whims. "I try to have purpose with every part that I'm doing, so that it's not pointless."
Beyond impressive are Yacyshyn's mix of ethereal minimalism, rumbling fills, and kick blasts that sound as if they were booted down with steel-cast sneakers, but the metal percussionist goes about his business in Sumac quite modestly. Rather than tout his own talents, he notes how often he's awed by the work happening just in front of his kit. Considering the pedigree of his older bandmates, a group of acts the younger Yacyshyn faithfully listened to before becoming their friend and collaborator, it's hard to disagree.
"There's people that come out to shows just to see those guys," he beams proudly, "People come up to me asking 'Hey, is it cool if I ask Brian to sign this?' I'm the layman. I'm the accessible new guy that can relay message onto those guys. It's a cool opportunity."
Sumac play the Rickshaw Theatre this Thursday (June 16) as part of Levitation Vancouver.
