LORD GRYPHUS - Summoning the King of Death

How’s it going, everyone? Sometimes you don’t need to go on at length to explain why ’90s death metal is still so beloved. A good riff, a filthy guitar tone, vocals that stick to your face, and that old sense of savagery coming from behind the drums are enough. LORD GRYPHUS, the three-piece masked outfit from Austin, Texas, is after exactly that with Summoning the King of Death.

The album has a decidedly primitive structure. In fact, that word needs to be used deliberately here, because it’s not simply a matter of dirty guitar tones or old-school-sounding production. This primitive character permeates almost every song. From the construction of the riffs and the way the drums are used to the vocals and the overall flow of the tracks, the band’s old-school death metal approach is constantly apparent. There’s no desire here to unnecessarily polish the music, modernize it, or turn it into a technical showcase.

I’m not counting the opening intro, of course. It deliberately stands apart from the rest of the album and is a very nice choice for setting the atmosphere. Its Latin American-influenced ambience draws the listener into the dark, ritualistic world the band has created before the album even gets underway. Then The Grand Spectacle kicks in, and all that calm disappears in an instant.

On the musical side, there are vocals and aggressive riffs that recall especially the early years of Cannibal Corpse, heavier sections that nod toward Grave and Morgoth, and crushing marches that occasionally bring Bolt Thrower to mind. But LORD GRYPHUS doesn’t simply line these elements up and say, “Look, we’re old school too.” Sections that veer toward the groove and slam side of Texas death metal also add to the album’s weight.

I also liked the way the bass guitar finds its place in the mix. Especially during the faster sections, it doesn’t disappear beneath the guitars; it makes itself heard and reinforces the weight of the riffs. The overall sound is as organic and rough as possible from beginning to end. I think some of the album’s strength comes from that. A heavily cleaned-up recording could have seriously blunted the character of this music.

On tracks such as Banished Leper and Sharpening the Guillotine, the band’s aggressive side becomes more pronounced. The riffs aren’t trying to get complicated; they hit you straight in the face. Sometimes that really is all you need from death metal. A riff comes in, makes your head move forward, and does its job. LORD GRYPHUS knows this well.

The conceptual side hasn’t been left sitting behind the music as mere decoration, either. The character of Lord Gryphus brings together ideas of death, sacrifice, ritual, and spiritual power through the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus). The masked trio and anonymous identities complete the atmosphere as well. So the album’s primitive character isn’t merely a musical choice; it extends across the band’s entire world.

I particularly enjoyed the Troops of Doom cover that closes the album. They haven’t pulled any unnecessary tricks on this Sepultura classic. They preserve the spirit of the song while putting their own heavy, filthy character over it. I think it fits the album’s overall structure perfectly.

The guest musicians haven’t been used for the sake of it, either. Mike De León delivers a very good performance on the guitar solo. Reese Alavi, meanwhile, brings the vocal character he uses in a more hardcore-oriented way on Creeping Death, but here he uses it in a somewhat fuller and heavier manner. I particularly liked this change; it fits the album’s death metal character much better.

At around 25 minutes, the album’s length is a big plus in my book. In fact, keeping an album this primitive and direct on the shorter side works in its favor. LORD GRYPHUS says what it has to say and gets out without hanging around too long. In the end, it leaves you thinking, “I could’ve used a little more.”

Summoning the King of Death doesn’t create a new death metal language. Frankly, it doesn’t need to. The point of this album isn’t to modernize ’90s death metal; it’s to remind us why that era is still so powerful. Primitive, filthy, aggressive, and direct.

If you’re looking for innovation, you’re knocking on the wrong door. But if you’ve been missing that savage, straight-to-the-face version of old-school death metal from its early days, you can knock on LORD GRYPHUS’s door.

Listening to it with a beer in hand is still one of the most sensible options.

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