Northern metallers GLAMOUR OF THE KILL achieved a lot off the back of their first EP and four years later, having shared stages with some of their biggest contemporaries, here we are…the (sometimes awkward) debut full length.
Off the bat, this record holds some real gems; ‘Feeling Alive’ – the lead track – is an absolute belter, packed with singalong vocals, it even throws in the occasional handclap (and who doesn’t love handclaps?) Track after track you’re fed a frenzy of guitar licks & beatdowns, until halfway through the record, the pace is brought to a complete stand still with ‘Malevolent Reign’. The track offers an intermission in the form of a two-minute acoustic ballad, an intermission that a) doesn’t feel necessary, and b) is well, a bit dull.
Fortunately, all is not lost. Post-intermission, we’re slammed back into overdrive with ‘The Supremacy’, and the likes of ‘Army Of The Dead’ & closing track, ‘All I Have To Give’.
While driven by some fantastic hardcore/melodic vocals backed up by superb guitar work, there are a couple of songs that blur into the background and certainly chime of filler. That said, ‘The Summoning’ offers a polished metal record that boasts both strong musicianship & a barrage of painfully catchy vocal hooks.
Is it pushing any boundaries in terms of genre? No, not particularly. But as far as debut full lengths go, this ones a keeper.
ROB KIMBER