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Any time you start adding modifiers like "epic" and "symphonic" to black metal, it is nigh on inevitable names like Summoning and Caladan Brood will come up. Knowing what those bands do should get you into the ballpark of what to expect from Finland's White Rune because they weave a lot of sweeping atmosphere and epic vibe into the songs on their debut, Dawn of the White Rune. It's an album that is quite melodic but not folky, with only a few slower, and frankly creepier, passages here and there but that's not to say the vitriolic vocals and propulsive guitars will let you forget this is, after all, a black metal album. I find that White Rune do what they do well but the songwriting, while on the mark for the style, isn't overly varied and isn't particularly daring. Even when I focused on the album, it didn't grab me and I found myself drifting, but it works very well as background music. That might sound like a slight, but it isn't meant to be, as I like what White Rune are doing, I'm just not entranced by it. This band is not at the same level as Summoning and some of the other bands plying these waters, but this is their debut, and they are on the right track.