Summoning the Lich are a death metal band from the US and this is their second album.
Summoning the Lich throw a few different influences into a brutally tasty death metal blender, and shake it with great force. The end result is Under the Reviled Throne, which serves up 40 minutes of music that takes the melodic and technical death metal styles and soaks them in fantasy-soaked flavourings.
Armed with a collection of songs that are mostly short and concise, Summoning the Lich get to work delivering a cracking album that’s easy to enjoy. As a rough starting point, think of The Black Dahlia Murder crossed with elements of All Shall Perish, Alterbeast, Carrion Vael, Job for a Cowboy, and a touch of Archspire.
Under the Reviled Throne is a colourful and sharp affair, taking a modern melodic death metal approach that combines melody and precision into songs that are well-written and surprisingly memorable. It appears that Summoning the Lich know how to write a decent hook, and the album has more than its fair share of them. The singer has a good voice for this sort of material, and delivers a range of aggressive vocalisations, from deep growls to piercing screams.
The music is crisp and heavy, with a technical edge that provides extra detailing. You can hear a minor thrash influence informing some of the spiked riffs, while the occasional hit of deathcore elements provide a blunt counterpoint to the tech death stylings. I also like that there is a symphonic aspect to the music too, but one that’s not overbearing; it enhances, but isn’t a significant focus.
Under the Reviled Throne is a strong album that is notably better than the average for the style by a comfortable margin. Summoning the Lich have impressed with their songcraft and brutal delivery.
Very highly recommended for fans of modern deathly brutality.
Wonderbox Metal 