It would be nice to see a review of this album.

Just listened to this album and DAMN am I blown away. Each song evokes a presence of long-lost grandiour, like standing in the middle of the Roman Colosseum or standing before an ancient impregnable fortress, the album just booms with this power. Not to mention the sheer emotions evoke by this album. I was left very impressed.

Excellent album but...it's too repetitive...in a forgetful way...I honestly wouldn't be able to pick out a track I liked more than the other .

I love this kind of album! It's the album that seems boring at first but after many listens you realize it is perfect.

Very good album.
Like every other Summoning album, it takes some time to get into but the atmosphere is wonderful.

There are standout tracks for me. Tracks 2, 5 and 8. Track 2 is probably my favourite Summoning song.

The rotting horse on the deadly ground is the strongest track here imo

This is the first 10 I've given to an album with predominatly harsh vocals. (I'd have given 10s to Acrane Rain Fell and Requiem:Fortissimo if they had more clean lead vocals.)
Black metal at it's finest.

Written by M C Vice on 03.11.2011 at 10:22
Black metal at it's finest.

That is just odd, considering how this band doesn't really play Black Metal that I would recommend to anyone who wants to hear what Black Metal sounds like. Don't get me wrong, I really like this band but their black elements aren't nearly enough to give a representation of what the genre is about.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.11.2011 at 21:02
...their black elements aren't nearly enough to give a representation of what the genre is about.

Pretty good symphonic atmo-black, but I agree if I'm recommending someone black metal, as in just pure straightforward black metal, bands like Summoning aren't at the top of the list. Maybe Lugburz.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 03.11.2011 at 22:59

Pretty good symphonic atmo-black.

Yeah, if he said symphonic/atmospheric black Metal I would have agreed.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.11.2011 at 21:02

Written by M C Vice on 03.11.2011 at 10:22
Black metal at it's finest.

That is just odd, considering how this band doesn't really play Black Metal that I would recommend to anyone who wants to hear what Black Metal sounds like. Don't get me wrong, I really like this band but their black elements aren't nearly enough to give a representation of what the genre is about.

Ok, I mean "fancy" black metal, the stuff that uses keys/synths/orchestras/additional singers, etc. The stuff that oozes atmosphere and shows that black metal isn't just about speed and aggression.

Pure Masterpiece

Easily easily easily Summoning's best album. A pure classic.

Overrated but good. Tracks 2 and 4 are the best.

Written by SODOM666 on 05.03.2011 at 08:38

It's the album that seems boring at first but after many listens you realize it is perfect.

What ? I'm just listening it for the first time, and I already love it !

Written by Cronomaster on 01.07.2012 at 20:11

Written by SODOM666 on 05.03.2011 at 08:38

It's the album that seems boring at first but after many listens you realize it is perfect.

What ? I'm just listening it for the first time, and I already love it !

Maybe that was a bit harsh, what I meant was it grows on you. Plus I was listening to a lot of thrash at the time so the slower style probably threw me off

Written by SODOM666 on 05.03.2011 at 08:38

I love this kind of album! It's the album that seems boring at first but after many listens you realize it is perfect.

I somewhat agree with you. I wouldn't say I thought it was boring, but I thought "this is it?" after the first listen, being a little underwhelmed. But as I learned with Minas Morgul and Dol Guldur, Summoning's albums need to be listened to multiple times before you can judge them correctly. After each listen, I began to like this album more and more, and now (after at least 10 times listening to it) it's my favourite of this band.

Edit: Old Mornings Dawn has succeeded in being the band's best work for me.

So many good songs here...Long Lost.., Like Some Snow-White Marble Eyes, The Rotting Horse, Where Hope And Daylight Die. The best Summoning album imo.

"A Distant Flame Before The Sun" is perhaps my favorite Summoning song.

Nice to see it has so high rating. Fully deserved.

How about a review for this album?!

I'm loving this. And, in general, I HATE black metal.

Written by R Lewis on 04.11.2013 at 00:23

I'm loving this. And, in general, I HATE black metal.

Like Marcel often says, people who enjoy Summoning (post-Lugburz) often don't like "real" black metal, me excluded since I like most BM.

Written by Erik M. on 07.11.2013 at 22:38

Like Marcel often says, people who enjoy Summoning (post-Lugburz) often don't like "real" black metal, me excluded since I like most BM.

Good to know I'm not crazy

Written by R Lewis on 08.11.2013 at 11:03

Good to know I'm not crazy

Haha. Well, if you like this album you'll probably like most (or all) of the other albums too, except for Lugburz of course. And even though some people claim all their albums sound the same, this isn't true at all. Minas Morgul is the least accessible and it's a bad album to start off with (which I did though, and it took many spins until I liked the album eventually). But you've already checked out this one, so I'm giving advice when it's not needed. In any case, their sound still evolved quite a bit. For example, the difference between Minas Morgul and Old Mornings Dawn is very big. They definitely became more accessible I'd say.

Written by [user id=142921] on 30.10.2015 at 07:47

Not a single rotten song on here.

Unlike the horse on the deadly ground.

All Summoning albums are good or very good, but this one is incredible! Truly a wonderful epic journey.
Among all the details that contribute to the album quality, I would stress the fact that songs #5 and #8 have a different type of vocals (and for song #5 a different singer), which gives some enjoyable variety to the album flow.

This is by far the best black metal album I've ever heard

Great song titles, its it