Sumac and Moor Mother – The Film | Album Review

Post-metal giants Sumac and experimental darling Moor Mother come together to curate an ambitious and immersive experience on their collaborative album The Film.

While both doomy post-metal supergroup Sumac, featuring members of Russian Circles, Old Man Gloom and Baptists, and jazz poet, activist and experimental punk Moor Mother have made a significant impact on their respective scenes, their worlds colliding may cause a bit of confusion amongst their respective fans. Although the collaboration seems a little unexpected on the surface, The Film demonstrates the full range that both artists are capable of, bringing together equally off-kilter but conflicting ideas into a mesmerising back-and-forth.

Introductory track ‘Scene 1’ opens the piece with a brilliantly left-field mix of thunderous riffs and passionate spoken word, slamming the two artists’ sensibilities together in an abrupt and alluring clash of styles. Moor Mother’s delivery wavers from a heavily processed and disconnected flow to an impassioned vocal breakdown over a backdrop of squealing, feedback-driven guitars for an intriguing preface to the album which seductively ushers the listener to get comfortable and allow themselves to drown in the noise. While “rap-metal” conjures images of spiked blond hair, baggy shorts and chugging riffs, Moor Mother and Sumac bring their expertise of the depths of experimental hip-hop and underground metal to create a totally new and compelling blend of styles.

Throughout the album it’s endlessly impressive how much sonic ground Sumac concede to Moor Mother and how effortlessly Moor Mother slots herself into a post-metal context. While an ambitious twelve minute track such as ‘Scene 2: The Run’ may seem extremely suited to Sumac’s low, slow and distorted brand of post-metal from the outset, the track steadily morphs into a vehicle for Moor Mother’s confident punk poetry reminiscent of her project Moor Jewelry before Sumac’s Aaron Turner snatches back the tracks’s reigns with his ferocious growled vocals. Whereas some collaborative albums can feel timid or restrained, like each artist refuses to step on the other’s toes, The Film embraces the tug of war between the two creative forces, pushing their respective boundaries into exciting new territory.

At select points in The Film Sumac and Moor Mother bring in a few select guests to provide some unique sonic textures with additional vocals. From Kyle Kidd’s soothing, ethereal tones on the intro to ‘Scene 3’ to Vienna based pop singer Sovie’s dense, textured backing vocals on ‘Scene 4’ or New York soprano Candice Hoyes’ ghostly vocals on ‘The Truth Is Out There’, these guests bring another dimension to the already intense and layered musical tapestry. While both Sumac and Moor Mother are exploring new ground on The Film it’s admirable that they’re still willing to bring in other creative voices to help craft their vision outside of their comfort zone.

Closing track ‘Scene 5: Breathing Fire’ brings everything Sumac and Moor Mother have learned from each other into a bold and challenging 16 minute experience. With Sumac’s penchant for intricate post-metal textures creating a dense and ferocious backdrop for Moor Mother’s venomous punk informed spoken word poetry the two artists join together to form a wall of hypnotic musical storytelling. The moments of calm really allow Sumac to flex their atmospheric prestige whereas the peaks of energy give Moor Mother an opportunity to spit out her vocals with viscous rage without either fully taking over the captivating sonic experience.

While some collaboration albums can alienate fans or lose what makes either act unique, The Film brings together the best parts of Sumac and Moor Mother’s sounds into an ambitious and fascinating album which doesn’t lose any of their off-kilter sensibilities. Although not particularly accessible to newcomers Sumac’s fans are sure to appreciate Moor Mother’s aggressive vocal style and push for more inventive textures while Moor Mother’s fanbase will respect how much Sumac’s heavy and explorative approach to songwriting compliments her existing style.