A band known for their passionately fierce and ear crushing live
shows, Sumeru’s onstage energy is exerted with an almost fanatical dedication
that it verges on a cult-like rite of sonic exorcism and visceral upheaval. Add
in the long-crafted musicianship of each member of this Sydney 5 piece, their
ability to peel subconscious layers off of their audiences was apparent since
their inception in 2009. Having shared the stage with foreign imports and
domestic legends such YOB, Torche, Nick Oliveri (back up band & support),
Windhand, Nails, Blood Duster, Beastwars, IEXIST and Lo! Sumeru now stand
firmly grounded in the Australian heavy music underground as a defining force of
pure riff fury and indomitable low-end groove.
This is right up my street!! I’ve never heard an album start with such
a haunting and frightening intro. I’m talking Evil Dead-esque! ‘The Temple’
gets us back on track. There’s lots of Pantera on offer here, and if you love
Pantera, you will love these guys. Its moody heavy riffs and some angry vocals
make this a very enjoyable track. Title track ‘Summon Destroyer’ a 7 minute
epic, edges us away from the doom metal to a more upbeat rock anthem, and is still
heavy in it’s own right. There are speed changes galore here, and why not? And
before you know it we are back hammering out the heavy stuff. Its truly is intense and perfect.
‘Embrace The Cold’ gives us a Manowar-style galloping riff which works
well, and lyrically here it’s very Nirvana. Every now and then I can hear Holy
Terror. These guys influences are clear to hear. ‘Kala Ratri’ is a one minute
long acoustic jam, which to me would have been better being the intro for
‘Durga!Durga!’ and not a separate track. There’s some absolute stunning
intensity going on with this track. These guys I imagine will be amazing live.
Intense, dark, angry, in your face. ‘Durga!Durga! has a riff in it that’s an
absolute steal of S.O.D’s ‘March Of the S.O.D’.
As we reach ‘Rivers Of Lethe’, I can only describe this as a pure out
and out hard rock track that hits you in every spot. And so we reach ‘A New
Ritual’, a 10 minute album closer which can only be described as a comforting, confusing
track. The string crunching riffs have been replaced by mellow tones, and the
angry vocals have been replaced by some proper singing. Diversity. It’s
anthemic in every way, intense in every way, and keeps you gripped right up
until about 7 minutes in when the guys suddenly unleash a brutal Black Sabbath
style riff on you. Suddenly we are back to the anger, but I don’t know where’s
it’s come from. These guys have built it up so cleverly. Its amazing stuff and
a brilliant album finisher.
I have got to catch these guys live.
Score 9/10
Reviewed by Sty
Track Listing
1. Inanis
Kultus
2. The
Temple
3. Summon
Destroyer
4. Embrace
The Cold
5. Kala
Ratri
6.
Durga!Durga!
7. Rivers
Of Lethe
8. A New
Ritual
Line-Up
Matt Power
– Vocals
Peter
Bursky – Guitar
Chris
Wilson – Guitar
Pat taylor
– Bass
Andres
Hyde - Drums