Review: “Corrupting the Entempled Plane” by Ageless Summoning

“Ageless Summoning was inspired by the otherworldly death metal of Steve Tucker era Morbid Angel and the discord of Immolation. We try to emulate the sludgy malevolence and desolate atmospheres of the likes of Gateways to Annihilation and Here In After. We felt that the unique atmosphere and mythos conjured by that slower-paced, brutal, and hypnotic style were underappreciated and overlooked, and we didn’t know of many bands doing things in that vein, so we thought we’d try it ourselves. Our goal has never been to just imitate what has come before, but we’re not trying to hide our influences either. We include plenty of deliberate references, but we’re also trying to develop our sound and continue the exploration of vast and desolate otherworlds” ~ Ali Lauder, vocals

Wrapped in artwork from Paolo Girardi, the debut offering “Corrupting the Entempled Plane” from a band whose members have several decades of desecration under their belts in the likes of Of Spire & Throne, Haar, Úir, Scordatura and Abyssal is one that offers intrigue and mystique with themes of the Ancient Ones soaked into Death Metal. The project isn’t a new one as such, the band officially gathering as far back as 2016 and 2018 seeing them unleash a two track demo, ironically featuring the first and last tracks from the debut album, to get the ball rolling…

…all of that means that the 80’s US Death Metal worshipping begins with potentially the oldest trick in the Ageless Summoning book in “Usurper of the Void“. The demonic resurrection of an Old School orientated sound finds the band toying with dark atmospheres steeped in ritualistic sounds as the albums virgin sacrifice is a pace setter of which nightmares born. As you would expect given the collective heritage of the musicians involved the transitions are slick and the musicianship a lethal dose of pure venom but overall this isn’t about trying to sound big, clever and fresh but about having fun and decimating the weak at that is something the do with consummate ease. The cave dwelling roars of the beast that is vocalist Ali Lauder reverberate off the walls as “Descent from the Infinite” takes hold, a pummelling cut with the weight and gravity of a black hole. Swirling whammy bar action creates a ghostly sonic oblivion in the final moments something that runs through each track as a familiar force, interwoven into the fabric of the tracks and helping the flow.

Sinister and menacing “Epoch of Souls” shatters any illusion that Ageless Summoning aren’t going to be around until the end of days with a brutal blackened textural cut that feels like climbing out of a tar pit. It’s almost monolithic and trance inducing with its sonic onslaught and is enough to cause a shudder of the very soul. Increasing the intensity a couple of notches “Among the Worms” brings the kind of Death Groove and Psychological warfare that bands like Strange Wire offer, the jackhammer footwork from Hamish Mackintosh the variety that causes Earthquakes on the opposite side of the planet. If you expected a power ballad of a title track after the blunt force trauma of the cuts which came before it then you’ll be sorely disappointed as with “Corrupting the Entempled Plane” the band continue down the left hand path with a clenched fist. Each repeated listen brings out little nuances within the mix that go unnoticed due to the sheer sonic weight of the hellscape, a testament to dedication to writing and a mix that has been well and truly nailed.

A momentary breather from the skull battering at the end of the title track is well placed, allowing the second half of the record to hit that much harder as “Incarnate Nothingness” tears a new hole in the Ozone layer. Slower, darker and a little more hypnotic, this one has a spellbinding quality with Lauder’s lyrical narrative that means it gets embossed on the brain like you’ve been burned by a cattle branding iron. Continuing to drag the lake at this point would be a challenge of endurance and recognising that Ageless Summoning provide respite with the shorter, faster but equally vicious “Toward the Fractal Absolute“. The only thing it lacks is a truly face melting solo to elevate it from another concrete slab of rhythmic brutality to a new realm of existence. A call from abyss “Retribution Eternal” bleeds nightmarish atmosphere, the sonic equivalent of a page turning psychological horror novel inked by Stephen King, the feedback that concludes it an escape that allows the loosening of the grip on the pillow momentarily. How then you get to the Stanley Kubrick, Space Odyssey inspired sounds of  “Invocation” the mind boggles but the eerie nature of the beast balances things on the scales of justice and sets up the grand finale that is “Salvation in Ash” perfectly. Another brutal slab of Sludge laden Death Metal of the finest order, it creaks and moans like the rusted metal housing of a water tower before being wrenched from its foundations by a tornado. Maryland Death Fest beckons… [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Usurper of the Void
2. Descent from the Infinite
3. Epoch of Souls
4. Among the Worms
5. Corrupting the Entempled Plane
6. Incarnate Nothingness
7. Toward the Fractal Absolute
8. Retribution Eternal
9. Invocation
10. Salvation in Ash

“Corrupting the Entempled Plane” by Ageless Summoning is out 21st July 2023 via Dark Descent Records with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.