Summit – The Winds That Forestall Thy Return (Review)

This is the début album from atmospheric progressive/sludge/post-metal, (phew), solo-project-with-guests Summit.

This is an album that works its wonders in moods and feelings, spread over the playing time with lovingly crafted care and attention to detail.

I like that this album has quite a lot going on. Post-metal, progressive sludge, ambience and even some hints of black and death metal surface during the release; there’s a black metal edge on Pale Midnight Shadow, courtesy of not only the music but the singer of Krallice too. There’s also some minor death metal influences here and there, (notably on track four, a kind of disjointed, abrasive Gorguts-by-the-way-of-Keelhaul feel), further adding to Summit’s comprehensive toolkit.

The songs are impressively written, and because each track has a distinct feel and personality all of its own the music has a real feeling of an exploratory journey, like the best of albums have.

All moods are catered for across this album, from fragile ambient sounds to furious blast beats. Everything flows naturally into each other and all of the various components connect smoothly and effectively.

Vocals are sparse, which lends the album a largely instrumental feel. The press blurb that accompanied this mentioned a cinematic feel, and I’d definitely agree with that. The moving soundscapes are certainly atmospheric enough and each of these tracks is deeply imbued with its own mosaic of feelings.

Diverse, full of substance and catering to a wide range of musical tastes, The Winds That Forestall Thy Return should easily appeal to fans of atmospheric music, be that sludge, doom, black metal or whatever.

A highly recommended listen.