Style: Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Grunge (Mixed vocals, mostly clean)
Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, Conjurer, Alice in Chains, Isis
Review by: Dave
Country: Poland
Release date: 10 May 2024
A few weeks ago, I harped on how Heavy Rain’s desert-like atmosphere was done to its detriment: to keep it brief, Heavy Rain treated the desert imagery on its album cover as carelessly as the AI that generated the cover, the desert manifesting as a barren metaphor for how lacking in variety the album was. This week, I’ve yet again been cast into the desert by Sunnata’s Chasing Shadows, with the promise of “mind-altering, shamanic doom metal with a dose of grunge and psychedelia.” I’m a bit more optimistic going into this one, though: the gorgeous and haunting artwork showcases a ghostly figure in the middle of a black desert, staring into a void that’s only slightly brighter than the overwhelming darkness surrounding. So, does Chasing Shadows live up to its promise of mind-altering psychedelia or are we yet again left stranded among the dunes?
The best word to describe Chasing Shadows is “austere”: while the atmosphere conjured is not exactly hostile, it could easily be described as otherworldly, harsh, and uninviting, whether it be the droning Alice In Chains style vocals teetering in and out of harmony, the bass rumbling underneath Cult of Luna-esque guitars that dance on the line between consonance and dissonance, or the dense, occasionally claustrophobic composition. The desert in which Chasing Shadows exists is undoubtedly liminal, making you think about what sorts of weird incomprehensible things can exist in a terrain so harsh and empty, then bringing those things face-to-face with you: at times, you’re the subject of a ritual you don’t understand performed by people you’re not familiar with; later, you’re trapped in the middle of a sandstorm, unable to see anything except for sand whirring in front of your face as its intensity waxes and wanes; and at points, there is a relaxing calm as you luxuriate in the cold, dry air under a full moon. And that’s just the first three songs.
Chasing Shadows wildly succeeds as an atmospheric piece: it takes a while to get fully acclimated to the sound as the chromatic palette is fairly limited and compositions can be overwhelming at times, but Sunnata manage to create rich and evocative textures within a limited tonal range. Droning chants are pitted against a persistent drum pattern as intensity ebbs and flows on “Torn,” creating an ominous wall of sound that swallows you in a sandy riptide; dissonant vocals are layered on top of shrieking synthesizers on “The Sleeper” for the album’s most terrifying moments; and “The Tide” offers a sunset-painted respite from the intensity as held-out chants intertwine with sparse guitar flourishes. A touch of industrial/electronic experimentation can even be found on closer “Like Cogs in a Wheel, We’re Trapped Between Waves of Distorted Time,” which poses distant reverberating guitars against a simple and effective drum beat. Most effective of these moments, however, is the hypnotic opener “Chimera,” which introduces slow and sparse chants after an intense opening passage, gradually increasing in speed and building to an earth-shattering climax propelled forward by chunky mid-paced sludge riffs. Sunnata were smart to choose “Chimera” as an opener as it gently sets the tone of the album while still making time to effectively crush the listener by its end.
Every fifteen minutes or so, we are graced with an interlude. You may think that fifteen minutes per interlude is overkill or that one typically has interludes foisted upon them as opposed to being “graced” by their presence, but Chasing Shadows both badly needs respites from its intense soundscapes and also manages to elegantly intersperse these breaks across its runtime. Each interlude stays firmly within the album’s atmosphere and provides moments of interest while still operating as a palate cleanser between the more mammoth tracks: “At Dusk” is gorgeous and lush, “Adrift” is powerful and catchy, and “Through the Abyss” is haunting and wistful. Despite their comparatively ephemeral nature, they are just as essential a component of Chasing Shadows as the extended pieces.
More to the point of effective interludes is the question of pacing. The three interludes not only act as palate cleansers giving room to breathe between compositions, but also serve to tonally sequester different sections of the album. “Chimera” and “Torn” lean heavily into a droning, psychedelic atmosphere; “Wishbone” and “Saviour’s Raft” are overall the heftiest tracks with emphasis on muscular riffage and gritty, powerful vocals; “The Tide” and “Hunger” are considerably slower and more subdued, giving the listener room to breathe and meditate; and “The Sleeper” and “Like Cogs…” lean fully into darkness with the most disturbing and unfamiliar sounds to be found on the album. Unfortunately, it’s more difficult to tie the conceptual themes in with the musical ideas, but the impressionist lyricism works well enough alongside the musical backdrop.
I have very little, if anything, negative to say about Chasing Shadows. Through deliberate and well-paced buildups, expert utilization of a modest tonal palette, and tasteful execution of droning chants, Sunnata have crafted a landmark album in atmospheric sludge. Despite its somewhat inscrutable exterior, Chasing Shadows works magnificently as an unsettling late-night mood piece or as an accompaniment to the period after golden hour and before total darkness. While I would usually complain about an hour-plus runtime, Sunnata justify the length with a diverse yet atmospherically cohesive exploration of moods. Maybe getting swallowed by the sand isn’t so bad after all!
Recommended tracks: Chimera, Saviour’s Raft, Torn
You may also like: Hypno5e, The Salt Pale Collective, Nebulae Come Sweet
Final verdict: 8.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal Archives | RateYourMusic
Label: Independent Release
Sunnata is:
– DOB (bass)
– ROB (drums)
– GAD (guitars)
– SZY (guitars, vocals)
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