If Boston's Summoner haven't gotten a lot of love by their third length, they probably have Savannah, Georgia to blame. Bearing a striking overall resemblance to that city's holy trinity of Baroness / Kylesa / Torche – not to mention a more rudimentary take on nearby Atlanta vets Mastodon – Summoner sport a lack of unique ideas yet boast a superb affinity for a beloved template that ought to earn them more respect than they've gotten so far.
Sure, singer Chris Johnson (touring bassist for Deafheaven!) is a near-dead ringer for Baroness' John Baizley, but that's not such a bad thing, is it? How many Rob Halford or Ronnie James Dio clones have we vetted over the years? It also works in the band's favor that all three of the aforementioned Savannah groups have been experimenting to the point of alienation for some of their fan base in recent years, while Summoner have seemingly never heard any Baroness album past Blue Record. Derivative as it may be, there's a market for this sort of progressive stoner fare, and to whatever extent sheer originality isn't a prerequisite, Beyond the Realm of Light represents A-list talent within the limited confines of a genre that many fans would prefer to stay just that: limited.
As if realizing said limitations, Summoner have consistently kept their albums fairly brief, and at 32 minutes Beyond the Realm of Light is their most succinct yet. Only six songs deep, highlights include the uber-Baroness cop "Into Oblivion", the molasses sludge-lite of the title track, and "New Sun", the latter of which's jaunty, upbeat riff is the closest this band will ever get to a Hunter-era Mastodon level of achievement. Don't let the above criticisms of derivation steer you clear of Summoner: this band is for real, it's just someone else's reality they happen to be living in.
Score: 7.5/10
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