Released: 2009
Track five of this EP is one of the finest representations of diabolus in musica since the first song of the first Black Sabbath album. The main riff of "Two Lane Blacktop" is resoundingly similar to Iommi's evocative original with a sinister ringing note like a death knell as it creeps, builds and creeps again along its nine and a half minute length. With this track, Summonus creates the very epitome of down-tempo metal, and their five-cut self-titled debut is like a crash course in sludge: a newcomer to the genre could use this as a primer but they could well come away wondering if the Devil himself had somehow had a hand in it.
At almost six minutes of repetitive, reverberating guitar, the instrumental "Saturnus" is admittedly just a little too long, but Summonus makes up for it immediately afterward with Rod Hunt's caustic vocals carving through the distorted-guitar rocking vibe of "Down on the Reeperbahn". This clearly marks Summonus as a kind of less-chaotic Eyehategod, perhaps something in the vein of Iron Monkey but without the tortured shrieks of Mike Williams or Johnny Morrow. Hunt's vocals are still unsettling, however, the same inimitable mixture of hardcore rasp and death metal screech that he brought to Sydney metal pioneers Persecution. This is certainly not easy listening, even for those who may have an idea of what to expect. The songs are thick with droning bass and jarring dissonance but equally fat with hook-laden if bone-rattling riffs, and the glacial pace also adds to the daunting and uneasy atmosphere of imminent doom.
At 32 minutes, it's only slightly shorter than Master of Reality, and in the annals of Australian extreme doom should be just as certifiably a classic.
- (Intro) Summonus
- Down on the Reeperbahn
- Grey
- Two Lane Blacktop
- The Gallows
Rating: 88%
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