There’s a couple of reasons I checked out the debut from British newcomers Ageless Summoning. 1) it’s on Dark Descent Records. ’nuff said. 2), the promo material dropped Steve Tucker-era Morbid Angel and Immolation as influences, and certainly when the opening lurch of “Usurper of the Void” and its otherworldy  Trey Azagthoth solo cemented that with churning, atonal gusto.

Then I started researching the band and discovered its actually composed of some dudes from some pretty heavy and varied hitters in the UK scene, including Abyssal, Falloch and Scordatura as well as some veterans from some more obscure, but damn fine acts like doomsters Of Spire & Throne and common act for most of the members at some point, Acatalepsy ( 4/5 of the band).

As if the aforementioned opener wasn’t enough to cement the band’s clear influence, the next 9 tracks really lean hard into the Gateways of Annihilation and Here in After hues with a focus on discordant, churning, mid-paced lumbers and lots of scrawling cosmic solos. There are plenty of blast beats, but Ageless Summoning is clearly at its best on crumbling lurching tracks like the aforementioned opener as well as “Epoch of Souls”,  “Among the Worms”, “Incarnate Nothingness” or “Retribution Eternal” (which has more of an Immolation vibe) and doomier closer “Salvation of Ash”.

My only minor gripe is the production- while certainly effective appropriately murky and heavy, it’s not very clear, and the riffs the guitars are trying to render sometimes get a bit washed out, more noticeably in the faster parts/blast beats – the title track and “Towards the Fractal Absolute” are prime examples, the massive slower moments are quivering, heaving hypnotic brilliance. The faster parts sound like running water.

But that does not change the fact this is one of my favorite Dark Descent Releases of the last few years, an impressive feat considering the label’s consistently stellar discography.

[Visit the band's website]

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