(You know the intro drill)
Summoning is:
Michael Gregor (Silenius)-Keys, Vocals, Bass
Richard Lederer (Protector)-Keys Vocals, Guitars, Drum Sounds
Official Site:
http://summoning.info/
Review:
1. Rhun
The mandatory Summoning intro. It is basically one polyphonic melody (as always) that builds up until the climax at the end. The song fades in with a snare rhythm. Then in come the horns which are at the low end of things, and they continue on with the snare for a while. The snare is very odd sounding, due to the reverb that Protector puts on virtually every instrument in mixing to give it that distant sound. Towards the later half of the song the main string melody comes in. It fades out after repeating a few times but it is not the last time that we will hear this melody.
2. Long Lost Where no Pathway Goes
At the beginning of the song you can tell that this is the "black sheep" cd in Summoning discography. Lots of strings and a more darkwave and even very very slightly gothic feel for this cd. The cd does not feature as much polyphony as Dol Guldur and emphasizes the guitars more. This song demonstrates this well as it is one of the first songs where Summoning use a Lead Guitar as the main melody. There are still of course awe-inspiring key melodies and the classic melancholuic feeling when listening. Another point, these lyrics for the cd are absolutely astounding. Some are from Tolkien but others are from other sources and they simply kick arse.
3. The Glory Disappears
Following in the vein of the last song, lots of strings and lots of guitar melodies. Time to talk about the vocals, both Silenius and Protector do vocals on various songs. Silenius does them on this one. The styles are pretty distinct. Silenius is super harsh and more black metal sounding while Protector is more rhythmic and also a little more clear yet still strained sounding. The song itself is epic as hell like all of their stuff and features some of the best melodies, especially the post chorus/outro!
4. Like Some Snow White Marble Eyes
Another song full of strings. Protector does vox on this one is case ou wish to compare his style to the last song. The song is a little more like the old stuff and some of the reed melodies foreshadow the upcoming style on Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame. Pretty sad and lonely again, a little repetitive but not that bad. The drumming is enjoyable since even though there is no tambourine (they use that instead of hi-hat) the bass and snare alone fit perfectly. (there are some tomes for fills as well).
5. Where Hope and Daylight Die
Sung by Protectors ex-girlfriend. The drum intro is pretty sweet. And then we get more strings. The song is almost gothic due to the female vocals. It would probably be if the excellent songwriting of Silenius and Protector wasn't so good. It's frankly too epic and good to be gothic. Protector has said they will not use female vocals again so cheers to him! drums actually are in the fore front along with the vocals. Also, the guitar is very very dirty on this song. Random fact: protector borrows friends' guitars for the cds since his broke and he doesn't feel like having it fixed.
6. The Rotting Horse on the Deadly Ground
The title is novery Summoning-esque but the epic as *** horns throughout the song are! Probably the one Summoning song you could bang your head to. The verse is driving and the lyrics are plain awesome. The song is unusual for this cd, it is more like the new material with the dark feeling of the old material. No matter great song, Silnius' best vox with the exception of Mirdautas Vras.
7. The Shadow Lies Frozen on the Hills
The melody is taken from Silenius' industrial Project Kreuzweg Osts's debut cd, from the song "Du Gefangene!" (You, Captive!). The song is probably one of my least favorite Summoning songs (aka Wintersun, my second favortie band might beat this song by a little :p). Still good, fits well with the style of the cd.
8. The Loud Music of the Sky
Another classic. I love the intro melody to death, the instrument that plays it has the perfect timbre. Drumming is good, Protector does vocals, drums sound especially welll mixed here. It's wierd because the songs intro os extrememly long, like 1/2 of the song, and then the rest of the song is just as long. A bit odd structure wise but still, but it works and thats all that matters. Great song, the French Horn is reminiscent The Rotting Horse. Also, for the first time we have the usual tremelo picked guitars!!!!
9. A Distant Flame Before the Sun
This 10 minute monster should really be though of as two songs. A 6 minute song and a 4 minute outro. The 6 minutes are very good, the lyrics are a bit like Burzum's erblicket die Tochter des Firmaments but since they are from a tolkien poem they are not copied. Silnius delivers very unusual layered vocals, very good. The highlight is the outro though. first we get a beautiful string melody and then we hear "Now Behold the Awful Price of Treason". If you have not seen Braveheart (the movie) rent it, it;s an awesome movie, plus you will hear this quote before they begin the slow process of killing him. Then Rhun re-enters, the same melodies with different drums and the sample "through dreams I influence mankind", from the classic movie Legend, is heard a few times.
4.5/5
Considered by many to be Summonings finest work, but I feel the female vocals are unnecessary and also badly out of tune at times.
