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7.0
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SUNNATA - Duration: 01:02:31
- Available from: 10/05/2024
At the crossroads between post-metal, grunge and tribalism, the Polish Sunnata have stood out since the beginning for clear intentions that cannot be misunderstood with other exponents of the 'post-' world.
In a scenario that either looks to extremist and suffocating proposals, or reasons calmly in dreamy and dilated atmospheres, the Warsaw group has quickly found an ardent, personal formula with a degree of fluency and attention to the song form that is not exactly usual, given the stylistic context. And it is precisely the grunge imprint, in many guitar lines and in the disheartened, alienating and plaintive voice of Szymon Ewertowski, that have the most important suggestions, those that shift the needle between a band that is only 'nice' and pleasant, to someone with an important speech to communicate.
With “Chasing Shadows” the Eastern European musicians seem to have raised the bar a little further, in the sense of a sinuous and varied work, which seems to take up many stylistic features of the recent past, to bring them to a higher level of in-depth analysis. If already with the previous chapters the perception that, over the course of an entire tracklist, Sunnata aimed to create a continuity that we would define as 'shamanic' in the vocal and instrumental harmonies, this sensation becomes more pressing with the latest addition.
Each track seems to have its own precise role in the whole, acting as a preamble or continuation for what happened before and when it arrives shortly after: the meditative sectors expand, the melodies bask in a smooth and serious darkness, maintaining pride and mystery in moments of suspension that can remind you of Neurosis in a catchy mood.
The album focuses on a skillful mix of oriental harmonies, rounded sludge waves, crepuscular and vehement melodies, thundering rips, which add pathos to tracks often oriented towards obsessive and obsessed movements. “Chasing Shadows” then presents itself as a sort of long, obsessive exploration of one's own inner world, from which to draw visions and concepts that are difficult to intelligible, except for the minds of its authors. In proceeding by accumulation, repetition and expansion of the sound towards boundless spaces, the stoner impulse also emerges, an evocation of desert scenarios which, in fact, are also those recalled by the mystical cover.
The band seizes the listener quite easily with fascinating guitar turns that do not require too much effort to assimilate, but soon begins to weave a web of more thoughtful passages, keeping you on your toes and willingly wandering around soundscapes that love waiting more than the roaring crescendos. It is in this habitat that the two opening songs, “Chimera” and “Torn” are placed, already indicative of a wavering but compact stylistic path, which willingly annexes a feeling of Kyuss to the Neurosis mentioned a few lines above, such as the sad decadence by Alice In Chains.
Sunnata therefore tries to give further impetus to the good contents expressed in “Burning in Heaven, Melting On Earth”, taking one step forward and one step back, in our opinion. The step forward is in the direction of a braver and even more personal style than previous albums, keeping in mind the desire to create an album that stands out for its uniqueness. And so far, we cannot say that they have failed in their aim.
The step backwards, however, is in the direction of a sense of proportion and of being able to make the work interesting in its entirety: this time the group seems to drag its feet on several occasions, losing synthesis and evaporating a little of its magic. For this reason “Chasing Shadows” remains a decidedly good album, but a little unexpressed, despite not going below its predecessor and the rest of the solid discography of a few years earlier in the overall rating. If you like sinuous post-metal/sludge with a mystical aura, the Poles should in any case be part of your listening list.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM