SUMMONER’S CIRCLE — First Summoning (review)

SUMMONER’S CIRCLE — First Summoning album cover

EP · 2015 · Death-Doom Metal

4/5 · 2019-12-07
siLLy puPPy

SUMMONER’S CIRCLE isn’t your ordinary metal band for sure. This band doesn’t just play music but lives it. Having formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2015, this spaced-out band is something akin to the jazz-world’s Sun Ra when it comes to its knack for crafting its own cosmic mythology and with an over-the-top sense of theatrical performances. Nurturing the sci-fi themes of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard amongst others, SUMMONER’S CIRCLE also claims to be refugees from a cosmic war on the planet Mercury and has relocated on Earth to perform its magic rituals which resemble heavy metal concerts!

The band consists of six members: Blind (vocals), Sol (keyboards), Magog (rhythm guitars), Gog (lead guitars), BG Scios (drums) and Fallen (bass). All six members have been together since the band’s inception and so far they have released two full-length albums, “Tome” and “Become None” but this EP titled FIRST SUMMONING debuted these interplanetary refugees and their eccentricities. This EP consists of only 4 tracks but perfectly displays the band’s unique mix of death doom metal with touches of other elements such as black metal and ambient atmospheres. The band has created its own comprehensive history behind its existence and the lengthy bio on its website displays the amount of effort these guys have put into their mythology, something like the progressive rock act Magma crafted several decades prior.

SUMMONER’S TALE delivers an epic sound like no other. The real journey begins on the double-album debut “Tome” so FIRST SUMMONING which doesn’t quite reach the half hour mark is somewhat of a warm up session or rather an indoctrination into the band’s idiosyncrasies which take death doom metal intro slightly progressive arenas with dramatic keyboards and dominated by Blind’s powerful vocal style. This EP begins with a two and a half minute symphonic narration which insinuates a much larger epic tale to come but seems truncated by the EPs length however in reality this EP is more like a teaser, a statement of sorts that SUMMONER’S TALE has arrived and the show will begin soon.

With death doom metal as the primary genre, this is slow plodding evil sounding metal with Blind sounding most similar to My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe and in many ways this band resembles that band only trading in the violin for the keyboards. There are the same gothic overtones and sense of dramatic compositional flair however this sounds different enough that you wouldn’t exactly think this was a MDB release if you heard it. Blind’s vocals are much more rooted in death metal’s guttural growls however his rare clean vocals are a dead ringer for Stainthorpe. Keep in mind the lyrics are all designed to evoke a magic ritual through music and the band hams it up in concert which probably makes them a very interesting live act to follow but just judging from the recorded music, this is very competent death doom metal for sure.

This is a very cool and professional recorded slice of death doom metal that perhaps needs a bit more originality but very well composed and produced. As the band states as their Bandcamp site: Epic doom metal from the wastes of Mercury. “Let us be the soundtrack to your private Doomscape.” If that’s not masterful marketing, what is?!! Overall, SUMMONER’S CIRCLE delivers an excellent debut EP and has peaked my interest in further exploring this high drama death doom metal band from Tennessee. Nice to know Appalachia has spawned more musical diversity than the more famous acts like Dolly Parton and other country / bluegrass legends. Favorite track: the 9:12 closer “Leviathan - Lord Of The Labyrinth.”