Sumokem - The Guardian of Yosemite (2017) (New Full Album)

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• published: 09 Nov 2017
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What Little Rock, Arkansas's Sumokem does with this absolutely stunning debut full length "The Guardian Of Yosemite" is drown us under potent riffs couched in top notch production, reminding the listener once again how great this genre can be. It's easy to get lost in Sumokems trademark mesmerizing riffs. The sheer might and forward momentum that a song like War Pipe/Rite Of Calumet brings is stunning, almost reminiscent of Khemmis's flirtation with death and roll on their last record. Letting this record wash over you is a pleasure. Frontman Jacob Sawrie has some killer clean vocals and I'd really love to hear him push those more. There is so much untapped potential here that I can't help but to become fascinated with. His potent remonstrations guide us through dark sonic landscapes towards ultimate triumph. Chock to the brim with guitarmonies and an exciting sense of progression the long form tracks that define The Guardian Of Yosemite never get boring - even the solos remain fun and touch on the almost over the top nature of the band. Sumokem understand exactly what their fans want from a doom band and paint the picture well. Touching on all the tropes, executing perfectly and then bringing exciting new elements into the music it's hard to not fall victim to this bands nearly infinite appeal. First track "Attack of the Mammoth" musically echoes its title giving a feeling that something large, feral and powerful is coming at you and there is nothing you can do about it except stand strong and try to somehow absorb the impact, Huge swathes of gnarly riffage roll over the listener pushed by growling bass and pulverizing but complex percussion all coated in a mixture of growled but clear and pristine clean vocal tones around which swirling guitar solos soar and scream. Heavy, intense with prog-like elements bubbling beneath its surface the song sets a high standard for the rest of the album. "Warning" follows, it's deliciously addictive guitar motifs, swirling over a backdrop of melodic prog-ish/post-rock groove, are overlaid with strong clean vocals. As the song progresses the band move this groove briefly into harder, doomier territory with Sawrie's vocals shifting into feral mode over slow raucous riffage before taking things back to its melodic beginnings for the close. "War Pipe/Rite of the Calumet" tells a tale of Native American mythology against a backdrop swaggering heavy rock underpinned by Weddle's grizzled bass playing and Skarda's powerful,intricate percussion over which Weaver threads swirling lead and Sawrie roars, croons and bellows while chopping out monstrous powerchords. "Ogama" and "Tisayac" follow respectively, the former a mid paced slow burner that starts gentle and considerate and slowly shifts through an array of musical tempo's and vocal dynamics until finally ending in a swathe of metallic bluster, the latter a schizophrenic mixture of chugging riffage and ambient folk tinted prog that sees Weaver providing scorching lead work while Sawrie switches, as the groove dictates, from sweet clean and folky to maniacal and menacing vocally. Reverberating arpeggios played over tribal rhythms herald in "Mescalito/Meeting of the Half Moon" before the hammer goes down and the band shift gear into a sludge drenched refrain with Sawrie roaring his lyrics while Weaver rips scorching solos over the top, the band then taking a detour into the melodic prog arena for the second half of the song. Closer "Nantucket" begins low, slow and heavy with clean vocal tones and searing bluesy guitar solos ringing overhead, the groove switches back and forth between varying degrees of crushing doom/sludge and prog flavoured metal with Sawrie adjusting his vocals accordingly until finally coming to a slow pounding close. Imagine, if you can, a cross between the prog-ish metal of Opeth and the equally prog-ish sludge of Mastodon sprinkled with a touch of stoner swagger and a pinch of heavy metal thunder and you might just arrive at the sound of Sumokem's "The Guardian of Yosemite". Review by Frazer Jones & Matt Bacon http://stonerking1.blogspot.com/2017/10/sumokem-guardian-of-yosemite-review.html http://www.twoguysmetalreviews.com/2017/10/sumokem-guardian-of-yosemite.html 1. Attack of the Mammoth - 0:00 2. Warning - 7:51 3. War Pipe/Rite of the Calumet - 14:33 4. Ogama - 22:12 5. Tisayac - 30:53 6. Mescalito/Meeting of the Half Moon - 40:27 7. Nantucket - 47:28 Support Sumokem by purchasing the album https://sumokem.bandcamp.com/album/the-guardian-of-yosemite https://www.facebook.com/SUMOKEM/ Support the continued funding of this channel, become a Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MeadowOfDoom Check out Stoned Meadow Of Doom 2 for more excellent full albums! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqjcQwTNvsxQWT44N6ESrA