Bursting from the cacophony of the cement-encased cryptic depths of their 2017 EP ‘Aesthetics of Demise’ Portuguese atmospheric death/black ritualists Summon are unearthed as reanimated corpses set to shriek and gasp their occult doom-tinged horror on the moonlit graveyards of their debut ‘Parazv Il Zilittv’. Emboldened by the ancient ones and candles lit on altars set to conjure mass eradication, Summon have lifted the oppressive veil of cavernous echoing doom/death that obscured the fetid riffs and howling pain of their debut EP. As groups known for blurred occult savagery like Uttertomb and Portal reveal their ghoulish innards out of resistance to trend-setting, hideously intentional, and unfeeling obscurity so does Summon unveil their no longer shrouded style to reap greater impact and powerfully realized black/death structures.

As the “Whisper of the Black Moon” gives way to the death/doom of “Howling Graves” you might initially feel like you’re still getting the blurry atmospheric cavern-core you expected. I have to say they’ve dialed-back the reverb and made drum and guitar work highly discernible compared to many bands of this style, such as Grave Upheaval or the aforementioned Uttertomb. As before, the doom-informed post-Incantation-isms are only one part of Summon‘s sound which ultimately reverberates between mid-paced The Chasm-like chord progressions and hammered out occult black/death blasting. The vocal affect shifts with subtle variation across the length of ‘Parazv Il Zilittv’ and it’s nine rituals, but generally evokes an enormous inhaled gasp amidst whispered waves of terror inducing reverberations.

Summon absolutely still pull from a sound originally meant as a way to make avant-garde black and death metal ideas blur together into effortless motion. They haven’t meant to escape the realm of the dead, at all. The production boost helps to clarify their musical statements rather than mute them under a wash of noise or hide a lack of riffs. ‘Parazv Il Zilittv’ is successful beyond it’s impressive atmospheric occult style and Summon‘s death metal riffing takes brilliant shape on tracks like “Shapes of Darkness Transcending”, “In Odorem Mortis” and the black-thrashing of “Cult of Abomination”. My favorite track is probably the psychedelic, churning hell that is “Below Death Splendour” as it’s echoing tones and slow-dooming riffs are as ominous as they are surreal.

You might still have to be a fan of stuff like Genocide Shrines, Impetuous Ritual and Grave Upheaval to discover this sort of release but I’d argue that ‘Parazv Il Zilittv’ is as good, or better, a place to start ones exploration of occult atmospheric extreme metal. Summon are as capable with ripping black/death as they are with echoing atmospheric death/doom. The preview track I’ve linked below on SoundCloud offers a good window of how versatile the band can be but the track is set amidst the most brooding part of the record where I’d preferably point you towards the two opening tracks of the record for the best “sell” on their concept and sound. It is an excellent entry into the atmospheric occult death metal oeuvre though it’s great appeal comes largely from the admirable choice to lift away the layers of noise and reveal the previously obscured structures within.

Ghasts in the mortuary. 3.75/5.0

<strong>Help Support Grizzly Butts’ goals with a donation:</strong>

Please consider donating directly to site costs and project funding using PayPal.

$1.00