Written by F3ynman on 18.11.2021 at 18:03

Wow! This is my favorite Summoning album so far! Great immersive atmosphere, thunderous and melodic instrumentation, lyrical themes of the Hobbit, eerily powerful voice samples of Lord of the Rings, what more could one want?!
This is the perfect soundtrack for wandering through wintry woods.... which is exactly how I listened to this! I felt like I was marching along to war or following Gandalf and the dwarves to the Lonely Mountain
Admittedly I think the first half is stronger than the second half of album. My favorite songs are In Hollow Halls Beneath the Fells, South Away, A New Power is Rising, and Our Foes Shall Fall. Farewell is also an epic conclusion, though

This is a great album indeed, have you listened to Stronghold yet? It's not as Tolkein influenced as this, but was the first Summoning album I listened to quite some years ago, and it got me instantly hooked into this band.

Written by AndyMetalFreak on 18.11.2021 at 19:16

This is a great album indeed, have you listened to Stronghold yet? It's not as Tolkein influenced as this, but was the first Summoning album I listened to quite some years ago, and it got me instantly hooked into this band.

I listened to some of the first tracks on Stronghold. I liked "Long Lost to No Pathway Goes" a lot.
I mainly listen to Summoning for the Tolkien-themed stories, so that's what made me lose interest a bit in that album. But I'll give it another shot!

Written by F3ynman on 18.11.2021 at 19:21

Written by AndyMetalFreak on 18.11.2021 at 19:16

This is a great album indeed, have you listened to Stronghold yet? It's not as Tolkein influenced as this, but was the first Summoning album I listened to quite some years ago, and it got me instantly hooked into this band.

I listened to some of the first tracks on Stronghold. I liked "Long Lost to No Pathway Goes" a lot.
I mainly listen to Summoning for the Tolkien-themed stories, so that's what made me lose interest a bit in that album. But I'll give it another shot!

If it's Tolkein themed albums you like most, then I would recommend Old Mornings Dawn more than Stronghold, I personally prefer Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame, and Oath Bound more, but it's still an excellent album.

Summoning's 2nd best album after Stronghold (8.8/10) IMO.

8.7/10 for me - 'In Hollow Halls Beneath The Fells' and 'Farewell' are the standout songs. 'South Away' is also good. 'The Mountain King's Return' and 'Runes Of Power' are weaker than the rest.

For me it's my third favorite, after Stronghold and Minas Morgul. My favorite songs on this are South Away, The Mountain King's Return and Farewell.

That said, South Away is a song that you need to detach from the Tolkien lore a tiny bit to enjoy (or you just have a good sense of humor), because as epic as it is, the lyrics are from a song that the Woodelves sing in The Hobbit when they toss the empty barrels into the river (for the people of Laketown to be picked up downstream and re-used). Yep... epic. Recycling in the name of the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards. Hail, King of the Mark! (Glad to see Rohan sleeps soundly when the Woodelves on the other side of Middle-earth dump out their trash.)

For me only Minas Morgul and Stronghold do it. Last track Farewell is good.

It's all just a little too corny for me. The synth, the drum machine, the vocals.