SUMMONING - Old Morning's Dawn (2013)

Genre(s): Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal

Label: Napalm Records

Rating: 2/10

Summoning have always been one of my favourite Black Metal bands, so I was super-psyched when I learnt they were in the studio again after so long. And seven years later... we get this. All I have to say to end this paragraph is: what the fuck, Summoning?

Track one, "Evernight," is a steaming pile of crap. Period. NEXT. Track two, "Flammifer," actually features a really nice guitar riff. Some cool synthesiser parts, to boot. This is easily the best song on the album. The third song, which is the title track, features an o.k. guitar riff to match the fairly decent synth riff; unfortunately, it quickly flounders. The good riff repeats again about halfway through the song, but overall, this song should've been about five minute shorter. Track five, "The White Tower," could have been swell, except the guitar part seems uninspired, the drum rhythm doesn't fit it, and the synth parts suck. "Caradhras" is the sixth song on the album, and it features (no doubt synthesised) violin in the beginning. The synth parts that follow straight-up BLOW. The guitar is boring. I can't finish this. Next is "Of Pale White Morns and Darkened Eves." It features a bad drumbeat and a stupid synth sound in the beginning that for some unknown reason persists. The guitar riff isn't as bad as in previous songs, but not good enough to not fast-forward through it. Later on, nothing really changes. Track seven is called "The Wandering Fire." Uninspired rubbish. You will find nothing here worth waiting for. Lastly we have "Earthshine," which, in my opinion, is the worst track besides the intro, "Evernight." A few riffs on guitar and synth that never really change...

It seems like Summoning are just cashing in on their "cred" as artists. Perhaps they thought "it's been seven years, we need to throw them a bone." I would've much preferred waiting for a quality release rather than this cranked out, uninspired garbage that wouldn't even appeal to an ultra-fanboy.