(2017) Sannhet - So Numb

Review: 
The primary way of classifying the Brooklyn trio Sannhet is as an instrumental powerhouse. They have worked with black metal and post-rock, but neither of those genres define them; they harness extreme sounds while bringing a level of approachability to their music, with great emotional depth. Like many of their New York peers — Tombs, Krallice, and Yellow Eyes, for example — they use familiar forms to move into uncharted territories. On their third album, So Numb, they’ve left the sonic properties of black metal behind without dispensing of its forward motion, and shaking loose has helped them come into their own. 
Guitarist John Refano relies less on repetitive tremolo passages, introducing more detached playing that compliments and also exists outside the rhythm section’s orbit. There are some traces of Sannhet’s metallic past—on the title track and parts of “Sapphire”—but Refano has switched an outright aggressive tone for a lusher sound that’s more suited for spacier breaks and tender melodies. Sannhet’s edge is drummer Christopher Todd, who has shifted from asset to primary drive. It’s no coincidence that the album begins with only drums on “Indigo Illusion,” working up to a climax instead of rushing right off. 
Much like Todd’s former Flenser labelmate Ignat Frege of Wreck and Reference, he is active in a small space, bursting forth with fluidity that emphasizes power instead of complication. He takes the repetitive tom lull you find in a lot of Neurosis clones and makes it as energetic and urgent as a d-beat march. Once he breaks up AJ Annunziata’s solemn bassline in the beginning of “Sapphire,” he turns and makes Refano’s delicate riffs into forceful cries, adding energy without whipping nervous speed into the guitar. 

Tracklist: 
01 - Indigo Illusion.flac 
02 - Sapphire.flac 
03 - So Numb.flac 
04 - Fernbeds.flac 
05 - Salts.flac 
06 - Way Out.flac 
07 - Secondary Arrows.flac 
08 - Sleep Well.flac 
09 - Wind Up.flac 

Summary: 
Country: USA 
Genre: post-rock