Reto Mäder has always moved into the occult and mysterious spaces with his project, Sum of R. Since their inception, Reto Mäder has not been content in settling on a particular sound or scene. Instead, Sum of R have been roaming freely on many different aspects of dark, experimental music. Their initial outings through Utech records displayed that much. Doom metal motifs, blackened aspirations colliding with ambient leanings, psychedelic influences, and sound design implementations. As raw and uncompromising as their self-titled debut and Lights on Water were, it was Orga that fulfilled the promises of this boundless perspective. Instead of the heavy music elements, the metal lineage, Mäder took the project in a dark ambient direction. The return now with Lahbryce sees Sum of R restore to a solid form, yet still not leaving their adventurous spirit behind.
Lahbryce is in many ways a record of circumstance. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Sum of R were scheduled to tour with a new line-up, consisting of Dark Buddha Rising drummer Jukka Rämänen with fellow Dark Buddha Rising vocalist, Marko Neuman joining in guest appearances. Of course, due to world events, the tour was scrapped but Mäder found a new direction for this creative outlet. And so Lahbryce came to be, and it echoes with the experimental weight of this line-up.
The dark ambient self of Orga has dissipated, and here Sum of R look to the post-metal lineage to forge their new work. Aspects of Neurosis bloom from the get-go, as “Sink As I” sets loose its dreamy and mesmerizing lead work. “Borderline” carries on with the same motif, unveiling moments of epic grandeur. Combined with the doom weight, the pacing and progression take on a punishing presence, yet it is one that does not follow strict rules. “Hymn To The Formless” hovers lucidly over a construction/deconstruction methodology. Heavy and relentless, caught in a dichotomy between the spiritual and the earthly, the track becomes an opus.
For Sum of R, beneath the heavy guitars and doom structures, or even their dark ambient passages, it has always been the psychedelia that was driving them forwards. In this way they share a common point of view with many acts of the Finnish extreme metal scene, in obviously Dark Buddha Rising but also Oranssi Pazuzu. It is a source that makes their music appear boundless and endless. And greatly aided with the excellent use of audio effects, they increase this otherworldly characteristic. “The Problem” oozes with this sense, as the hazy, formless manifestation creeps in. The same hallucinatory experience makes an appearance in “Shimmering Sands,” making it feel as if shifting sand moves beneath your feet, dragging you into the underworld.
Every element that finds its way in Lahbryce aids in crafting an experience. And at times, this can be dark and horrifying, as is the case with “Crown of Diseased.” But then, it can also take on a transcendental approach. “Borderline” with its slithering part feels like the beginning of a spiritual journey, while “144th” adds a hypnotic quality to the proceedings. And it all wraps together for the epic closer of “Lust,” where sparse instrumentation and bitter psychedelia combine for a punishing overture.
While many of these ideas and concepts have been visited before, Sum of R display an excellent grasp on these. They are not merely repeating them, they are instead making them their own. In adjusting the post-metal grandeur, the doom gloom, the elusive psychedelia to their own stylistic characteristics, they offer a treasure in Lahbryce.
