Like the Sword, Summoner Search Beyond

An odyssey of cosmic riffs exists within Summoner’s third album. It’s astral, embarking on a transcendental journey of psychic proportions while remaining grounded in the laws of rock. Though often resembling some of their predecessors (i.e. The Sword), Summoner take the unique art of genre-bending to an interesting place: beyond the realm. And while it may tote a tune that listeners may have heard before, the Boston natives find a groove and stick to it. There’s no fluff, no odd-ended mechanical bullshit. In full, the album is a conscious creation of celestial song-making.

At its core, Beyond the Realm of Light is another practitioner of heavy rock. In addition to a pair of long tracks, the album’s lore lies in its ability to concoct a world of its own. Each track brings us deeper into this arid land, regurgitating riffs which could have traveled through time and space. Songs like “Beyond the Realm of Light” and “The Emptiness” hit drives that embark exquisitely through patterns of sharp atmospheric rock. And while, in its entirety, the album is only a brisk thirty minutes, it’s still an adequate addition to Summoner’s growing quiver.

There is a draw to this progression of the heavy rock genre. It’s a combination of spatial transgression and the doom rock initiative, a production of old school styles with futuristic tendencies. Above all, Beyond the Realm of Light is a savvy portrayal of hard rock fanatics looking to relish in the myriad of world-bending melodies.

Summoner, known formerly as Riff Cannon, consist of Scott Smith, Chris Johnson, Joe Richner and A.J. Peters. Currently, the group is backed by Magnetic Eye Records, the label which has released the group’s previous two albums. For fans looking to catch the Boston hard rock cosmonauts in person, they have a show scheduled for the 18th of August at the Hard Rock in Los Vegas. So, unless you happen to be taking a last-minute bachelor or bachelorette party, it may be some time until you catch Summoner live. For now, take a gander at their latest release and look beyond this realm of light.