Sannhet (Norwegian for "truth") is an American

experimental metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, art metal and experimetal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventi ...

band from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, United States. The band formed in 2010 by John Refano, Christopher Todd, and AJ Annunziata. They have released three full-length albums as well as a variety of EPs and singles which were collected together and released in their 2016 compilation album ''Young Death''. Sannhet has become known for their elaborate live shows which combine their "dense" sound with lights, projected visualizations and rhythm-synced strobes. They are an instrumental band with a sound that combines

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge doom or simply sludge) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, down-tuned guitars and nihilis ...

, and

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...

with the structures and orders of

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

, though unlike other bands with similar influences, they tend to favor shorter song structures.

History

The band released their debut album ''Known Flood'' on February 19, 2013, through Sacrament, an imprint owned by staff at the

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical ...

bar. The album has been described as "pristine post-rock with dirty noise and hardcore, and it wouldn't be wrong to affix the word "blackened" to the overall sound."

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

's Grayson Currin gave the album a positive review, writing that "each of the longer numbers roll several themes and transitions into a relatively compact framework, again avoiding boredom by a bustle of activity. “Slow Ruin,” one of two that makes it past seven minutes, volleys from field recordings to Touch and Go throb, from post-millennial blackened grandeur to an expansive noise fadeaway." On October 14 they released a music video for the track 'Slow Ruin' directed by Aj Annunziata. On November 12 they released a two-track EP 'Lions Eye', described as funneling "both brawn and versatility into likably finite spaces." The band released their second album ''Revisionist'' on March 3, 2015, through

The Flenser The Flenser (also known as Flenser Records) is an American record label founded by Jonathan Tuite in 2009 in San Francisco, California. It describes itself as a "dark music" label or a "dark experimental record label". Bands that work with or ha ...

. A number of tracks including "Lost Crown" were premiered on music websites in advance of the album's release. The album was received well, with positive reviews and coverage by

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

MetalSucks MetalSucks is an American heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock ...

, Metal Injection, and more. Critics noted the experimental, diverse sound of the album, such as the "pummeling black-metal drums", "tense rhythmic lock of death metal", and the "astral ascendance of space-rock." Pitchfork's editor Brandon Stosuy named it the 10th best metal album of 2015, while Jayson Greene nominated it as one of the most overlooked albums of 2015 and Ian Cohen named the title track 'Best New Track'. In a review of ''Revisionist'', the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

described the album as "many layers of guitar ormingdissonant harmonies; sections grow and vary, never fully returning to where they started. Sometimes they are abstract, with found-sound voice recordings and clouds of echo. They’re also easy to follow, emotionally clear." On April 18 the band performed alongside

Prurient Ian Dominick Fernow is an American experimental music, experimental musician, poet and multimedia artist. He is best known for extreme music released under the stage name Prurient, as well as numerous other aliases including Vatican Shadow, Rain ...

, Andy Stott and others as part of Pitchfork's Tinnitus Music Series in Brooklyn, New York. On June 30, 2016, the band released a compilation album titled ''Young Death'', drawing together and remastering rare early material and unreleased material spanning from 2008 to 2013. It was released digitally by the band themselves while Hospital Productions issued the album on vinyl. Later that same year, the band released the single 'Short Life' as part of Adult Swim's 2016 Singles compilation series, confirming that they are working on a third album. Pitchfork wrote that "the four-minute track bears a fresh coat of corpse paint, teeming with pulverizing blast beats and tremolo guitars that wail like professional mourners." Stereogum described it as "a scorching four-minute instrumental, with a focus on speed-picking doused in reverb and an impressive, anchoring drum pattern."

Members

* John Refano - guitar and loopers * AJ Annunziata - bass guitar and visuals

Discography

;Studio albums *''Known Flood'' (2013; Sacrament (vinyl/digital), Consouling Sounds (CD)) *''Revisionist'' (2015; Flenser Records) *'' So Numb'' (2017;

Profound Lore Records Profound Lore Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in May 2004. The label primarily focuses on releasing extreme metal and experimental albums. It "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends but, over the past six year ...

) ;EPs *''Sannhet'' (2011) *''Lions Eye'' (2013; Sacrament) *''Short Life'' (2019; Profound Lore) ;Compilations *''Young Death'' (2016;

Hospital Productions Hospital Productions is an American record label founded in 1998 by Dominick Fernow Ian Dominick Fernow is an American experimental musician, poet and multimedia artist. He is best known for extreme music released under the stage name Prurient, ...

)

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Brooklyn Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state) American sludge metal musical groups American post-metal musical groups American black metal musical groups