Summoning: With Doom We Come (2018)

Summoning is one of those bands that I have long heard great things about but simply never got around to checking out.  I do not really have an explanation for this, I just never really got around to it.  Now with this album being released early this year, I figured it would be a good chance to finally check them out.

This is most likely a grower for me.  I did not really know what to expect in checking this band out, but I was a little taken aback by it.  This is certainly not a bad album, far from it, I was just surprised by the band's sound.  It is much more laid-back than I thought it would be.  There is really nothing aggressive about it.  The riffs move very slowly and the vocals are delivered in a variety of styles, some harsh and some clean.

I will grant one thing to the album though, it sounds like it would have made an excellent soundtrack to a fantasy epic movie.  Something sort of like the Lord of the Rings or Hobbit movies.  I also really enjoy the percussion used throughout the album, in particular the use of timpani, which is not a real common metal instrument.  Plus, Summoning has a fucking awesome band logo.

So this one was a little disappointing at first blush, but by the end of the year, it is entirely possible that I will absolutely love it.  We will see.