It’s been at least a year in the making it seems, but York quarter Glamour Of The Kill have finally unleashed their first full-length, in the form of The Summoning. After having shared stages with the likes of metal giants Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine as well as opening mainstage at Download ’08, the band have been touted for quite a while as a big force to be reckoned with – finally, they’ve got their stab at success.
From the opening burst of chords from first track If Only She Knew, it’s clear to see that Glamour have come out in the frame of mind to immediately capture and fire on all cylinders. It’s a tried and tested formula; the band have stuck with the exact same game plan that made their self-titled EP such a good listen, and basically expanded on it to create more of the same. You know how the saying goes; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There’s riffs aplenty, sterling solo work, and frontman Davey Richmond isn’t afraid of an unshamed pop chorus or two that could quite easily make JLS blush.
There’s a definite party vibe throughout the record, clearly making it a one that just has to be heard live to get the full effect. There’s “jump!”‘s and “yeah!”‘s scattered throughout, something quite obviously designed to be mimicked live infront of a packed out crowd. The production is sublime, and tracks such as lead single Feeling Alive and the glorious “Don’t fight it! You can’t fight it”‘s of Lost Souls sound like anthems in themselves and really benefit from it. The band aren’t scared of bringing the heavy down on top of their clearly more easy-listening styled metal sound, drafting in well-crafted breakdowns to tracks like Here, Behind These Walls, as well as even a seemingly obligatory acoustic track in Malevolent Reign, which is done surprisingly well to be placed in the middle of an album that keeps up a specificially energetic pace, with it’s slow chants immediately crashing back into the downright punishing Supremacy, and the ballad-like title track that lurks on the end of the record and has a fair shout at being the standout track of the album.
It’s fair to say that this has all been done before, and there’ll quite simply be umpteen bands doing exactly the same after this. The difference is, Glamour Of The Kill have became their own band, and they’ve got the ingredients to go all the way with The Summoning – it’s a massively catchy record, and there really is something for everyone in it. If you like your metal loud, catchy, poppy, fast, slow, anthemic, gritty, singy, shout-y, or just downright fun, look no further!
- George Cannings.
The Summoning is released 24th January. Glamour Of The Kill embark on a ridiculously long tour from February through until April. For dates, go to http://www.facebook.com/glamourofthekill for more details!
Filed under: Albums/EPs, Glamour Of The Kill, Reviews
