Album Review: This Summit Fever - This Summit Fever
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I’ve seen the Shropshire based duo, This Summit Fever, a few times over the past year or so, at the inaugural Northwest Doom Fest in Chester for one and have really enjoyed their brand of fuzzed out rock. They have an effervescent energy about them when they are on stage, so I was looking forward to hearing their self-titled debut album.
When guitarist/vocalist Andy Blackburn formed the band back in those darkened lockdown days of yore, he recruited drummer and friend Jim McSorley, and they set out on this epic journey. With thunderous riffs and imposing rhythms, they manage to dispel one myth, as these two make one hell of racket that can shake a room to the floor. And what a beautiful racket it is.
As Andy himself says, “I’ve come to embrace our limitations” as they crank up the sound with opener “Breathe You In” a fiery number that beats a well-trodden path of creating effective songs that are going to get you rocking. It’s got a simple, catchy chorus that will lend itself to the live arena when they play it. They follow this with “Currents” which has a sumptuous, fuzzy opening riff to it, with a slower tempo that crushes to the very core. It sounds almost like a dream sequence but when the expressive riff comes through, it’s a joyous moment.
With songs focusing on the “complexities of the human condition, personal struggles, resilience and emotional turmoil” it was always going to be an interesting album to listen to, and even after playing it several times, I’m hearing different nuances throughout. “Hooks” is a cracking song from start to finish, strong vocal, killer riff and pounding drums, what more can you ask for and it demonstrates on how being a duo has forced them “to be more creative with riffs, melodies and arrangements”.
“Superfluous” is another slower tempo song, that feels like it’s tempting you into something evil and wrong, as it overpowers you with an impactful and hypnotic fuzzed out riff straight from the book of Fu Manchu. This leads perfectly into “Voices” which has a hard-hitting riff that is a pleasure to listen to. The melody is lively, as I get a flashback of an anguished Kurt Cobain in the vocal now and again.
The breakout song for me is “Party to Blame”, as it begins at a high tempo with the drumming from McSorley not drowning out the guitar sound but complimenting it to create a mighty rhythm for them to bounce off each other perfectly. Another luscious beginning signals the start of “Only Quiteness” and once again I find myself drifting off back to my old grunge days for references, both vocally and musically.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the album, is that they’ve focused on the attention to detail, and not drawing out songs for the sake of it. With all the songs bar the final one, “It Haunts Us” under 4 minutes in length, the finale sees them more emotional and introspective with a haunting melody, softer vocals and lighter sounding drums. It feels right that this finishes off an energetic and lively performance that beautifully reflects what they are like on stage.
