What One Becomes

What One Becomes is the second studio album by American post-metal band Sumac. It was released on June 10, 2016 through Thrill Jockey. The album was recorded at The Unknown studio in Anacortes then mixed and produced by Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studio in Salem.

What One Becomes
Studio album by
Sumac
ReleasedJune 10, 2016
RecordedNovember 2015
StudioThe Unknown in Anacortes, Washington
GenrePost-metal, sludge metal
Length58:44
LabelThrill Jockey
ProducerKurt Ballou
Sumac chronology
The Deal
(2015)		 What One Becomes
(2016)		 Before You I Appear
(2016)
Singles from Sumac
  1. "Rigid Man"
    Released: March 31, 2016

Background

In November 2015, it was announced that the band was in at Phil Elverum’s co-owned studio The Unknown tracking the follow-up to their 2015 debut, The Deal. Reports also confirmed that Kurt Ballou (Converge) would be reprising his role as mixer as well as taking on production and engineering duties for the album.[1] On March 18, 2016 an album teaser was released that featured footage of the recording process along with a brief flash of the words "what one becomes".[2] Three days later the forthcoming sophomore album's title was confirmed as What One Becomes alongside premiere single “Rigid Man” as well as the track list and release date.[3]

Concept

In a press release the band offered an explanation, in part, to the theme of the album guitarist Aaron Turner stated: "Much of it has to do with questioning fabricated structures of identity and what it means when those structures are destabilized by contact with the outside. That has been a unnerving process to undergo, but also fruitful in terms of discovering the path to individuation and realized connection with the self. Another facet of experience I'm working to convey is about living with the sustained presence of anxiety, and avoiding reliance on musical devices of cathartic release to provide escape from this condition."[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubA[6]
Exclaim!7/10[7]
Metal Hammer[8]
Metal Injection8/10[9]
MetalSucks[10]
Pitchfork7.8/10[11]
PopMatters[12]
Revolver4/5[13]

What One Becomes was met with very positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic (a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 10 critics, the album has received a score of 74/100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". The A.V. Club wrote that "It’s hard to imagine a better metal record coming out this year", praising the performances of Turner, Yacyshyn, and Cook. "What One Becomes shows Cook and Turner again occupying highly coveted space on the zenith of aggressive music—this time alongside Yacyshyn, the percussive mastermind. It’s hard to imagine a better metal record coming out this year." Pitchfork praised the album for breaking new ground, writing that the album "feels more improvisatory than most of any of the members’ prior works (especially bassist Brian Cook, better known for his work in modern prog-metal heroes Russian Circles), and that makes it alien to most metal. Sumac are pushing metal in a direction so uncomfortable it may cease to be metal, into an openness that isn't about saying “FUCK YOU!” the loudest. The result is some of his most exciting work since Isis disbanded."

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Image of Control"9:57
2."Rigid Man"10:35
3."Clutch of Oblivion"10:59
4."Blackout"17:25
5."Will to Reach"9:48

Japanese edition bonus track
  1. "Rigid Man in Vain" (Kevin Drumm remix) – 7:55

Spotify track listing
  1. "Image of Control (I)" – 3:58
  2. "Image of Control (II)" – 6:00
  3. "Rigid Man (I)" – 5:24
  4. "Rigid Man (II)" – 5:11
  5. "Clutch of Oblivion (I)" – 5:39
  6. "Clutch of Oblivion (II)" – 5:21
  7. "Blackout (I)" – 9:57
  8. "Blackout (II)" – 6:54
  9. "Blackout (III)" – 0:35
  10. "Will to Reach" – 9:49

Personnel
Sumac
Technical personnel

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] 10
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References
  1. Hughes, Josiah (Nov 27, 2015). "Sumac Hit Phil Elverum's Studio with Kurt Ballou for New Album". exclaim.ca. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  2. Adams, Gregory (March 18, 2016). "Sumac Album Trailer". exclaim.ca. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. "Sumac (Isis, Botch) announce new album, premiere song". lambgoat.com. March 21, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  4. "Reviews for What One Becomes by Sumac - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  5. Simpson, Paul. "What One Becomes - Sumac". AllMusic. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  6. Anselmi, J.J. (June 10, 2016). "Sumac shakes the Earth with What One Becomes". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  7. Piekarski, Tom (June 8, 2016). "Sumac - What One Becomes". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  8. O'Boyle, Tom (June 19, 2016). "Sumac – What One Becomes album review". Metal Hammer. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. Ulrey, Jeremy (June 15, 2016). "Album Review: SUMAC What One Becomes". Metal Injection. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  10. Wingerschmidt, Kip (June 7, 2016). "Review: Sumac's What One Becomes is Heavy and Expansive Beyond Belief". MetalSucks. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  11. O'Connor, Andy (June 13, 2016). "Sumac: What One Becomes Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. Conaton, Chris (June 29, 2016). "Sumac: What One Becomes - PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  13. Krovatin, Chris (June 17, 2016). "Sumac, 'What One Becomes'". Revolver. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. "Sumac - Chart history (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
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