Swiss-Finnish avant-garde trio's new exorcism is a haunting swell of psychedelic doom and krautrock alchemy. Swiss-Finnish sonic explorers Sum Of R return with Spectral, their most haunting and possessed work to date. This nine-track, shape-shifting journey delves deep into ritualistic psychedelia, experimental doom and a surreal fusion of krautrock influences - using these elements as creative tools to explore the mutation of sound. Following the critical acclaim of 2022’s Lahbryce, which marked the band's rise as a trio and saw them conquer stages from Roadburn to Desertfest, Spectral intensifies their hypnotic spell with a heavier, stranger, and more possessed sonic palette.
Formed in 2008 by Swiss musician Reto Mäder (Ural Umbo, JeGong, RM74), Sum Of R has undergone multiple sonic incarnations. In recent years, the band solidified into a menacing three-headed leviathan with the addition of two infamous Finnish artists: drummer Jukka Rämänen (Hexvessel, Waste of Space Orchestra, Ex-Dark Buddha Rising, Ural Umbo) and vocalist/noise-sculptor Marko Neuman (Convocation, Ex-Dark Buddha Rising, Ural Umbo). Together, Sum Of R is a band that channels cosmic vibration more than genre, summoning music that feels unearthed rather than written. The way Sum Of R creates their work, gives credence to the title of Spectral, where the album feels like a seance of channeled energies from beyond.
Visitors from the outer limits
On Spectral, Sum Of R also invited outside voices, three luminaries from the experimental and extreme scenes who share a deep affinity with the band's ethereal universe:
- Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu, Grave Pleasures) lends his haunting vocal signature to the album opener "Solace"- a scorched-earth duet with Marko Neuman that draws the listener into a hazy, unsettling trance.
- Vicotnik (Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende, Dold Vorde Ens Navn) delivers a harrowing performance on "Beer Cans in a Bottomless Pit", one of the album's most deranged and dramatic moments.
- G. Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Goatsnake, Asva) contributes low-end thunder on "Agglomeration", his distinctive bass tone adding weight and decay to the song's architecture.
1. Solace (feat. Juho Vanhanen)
2. Agglomeration (feat. G. Stuart Dahlquist)
3. Null (cd exclusive bonus track)
4. Waltz Of Death
5. Beer Cans In A Bottomless Pit (feat. Vicotnik)
6. Empty Rooms
7. The Solution
8. Violate
9. Cold Signatures