Summoning
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Original post
Posted by Unknown user, 17.05.2006 - 05:32
"Summoning was formed somewhere in 1993 by Silenius (Michael Gregor), Protector (Richard Lederer) and Trifixion (Alexander Trondl) who met in the sort of pub, where they used to drink. Before his activities in Summoning, Protector was playing drums in a kind of progressive thrash/death metal band "Marlignom", that nearly got a record deal at Peaceville, but in that time the band broke up. His very first musical experience was a rock band (he was 15 years old then ) and a four year study of drums in the music school. The musical experience of Silenius was a doom metal band "Shadow Vale"(at 16 years old) and few years in music school studying piano. Before Summoning, Silenius was making music, together with Pazuzu (Ray Wells) in a band Cromm (They made some demos that sounded like Abruptum, but never released anything else). Trifixion played in Pervertum.
The demos sold quite well in a record shop in Vienna, called "Why not". Some times later Silenius got in contact with T.T.(Thomas Tannenberger), who made an interview with Summoning for the local fanzine TAUB (which was the first Summoning interview).They talked a lot and T.T. told that he wanted to form a band of his own, and gave Silenius a tape with some riffs. That was the birth of Abigor. They kept contact and later Silenius replaced Rune (now singer of Amestigon) and did all vocals for all Abigor releases (except the demos) as a permanent Abigor member. As they recorded the first Abigor album("Verw'stung") for the young Napalm Records label, Silenius got in contact with Max from Napalm. They handled a deal with Summoning and soon Summoning's debut "Lugburz" was released on Napalm. That time Summoning members were: Silenius - vocals, keyboards, bass; Protector - keyboards, guitar; Trifixion - drums; And Pazuzu made some additional vocals and wrote some lyrics (he also was singing in DM way on demos). 1995 was a very creative year for Silenius and Protector, and gave lots of practising experience for them. They were involved in the following bands and projects, and made these releases: Summoning "Lugburz", "Minas Morgul"; Pazuzu "And all was silent"; Grabesmond - demo (There was also P.K. in it); Die Verbannten Kinder Evas "Die Verbannten Kinder Evas" ; Abigor "Nachthymnen"; Ice Ages "Strike the Ground"; Weltenbrand "Das Nachtvolk"; Sanguis et Cinis "Schicksal"
After they recorded "Lugburz", they kicked out Trifixion, who turned out to be a commercial thinking asshole. Guys did not want to get a new drummer and so they continued working with medieval and bombastic keyboard percussion sounds. The result can be heard on "Minas Morgul". So the band then consisted of: Protector - vocals, guitar, keyboards, drum-programming; Silenius - vocals, keyboards, bass.
As "Lugburz", an exercise in raw, Abigor-style black metal, was a "first try", and was totally different from all future material, its follow-up "Minas Morgul" was "the crown" of Summoning creation. It opened new horizons for Summoning and for BM music in general. The album was totally inspired by Tolkien themes (as all their later stuff), and was a magnificent epic/ambient BM. "Minas Morgul" contained much of the material from old demos (of course it was made in a very different way).
The next greatest album "Dol Guldur", came to light at 1996. "Dol Guldur" continued "Minas Morgul" musical and lyrical wise, and surely was the a progression in Summoning creativity. On "Dol Guldur" the music from Protector's dark/EBM project Ice Ages also can be heard ("Over Old Hills" theme is taken from "Trapped and Scared" Ice Ages song).
After this album, Summoning stopped their activity, till 1999.They also stopped their work in almost all other bands.
After a long silence, Summoning exploded with new album "Stronghold" in May 1999, forcing everybody to open their eyes and clean their ears. Album was recorded in "Nachtschatten studio" which is the home-studio of Protector, and was engineered and mixed by members of band themselves.
"Stronghold" surely showed some new ways in Summoning musical experience. On the new album, guest-singer Tania, who has also replaced Julia in Die Verbannten Kinder Evas, appeared in a song "Where hope and daylight dies", which was surely a new step for Summoning.Silenius left Abigor (Vocalist from Heidenreich replaced him) due to the lack of interest and style change, and started to work on the new industrial project Kreuzweg Ost (which is near to be released on Napalm) together with Martin Schrienk from Pungent Stench. Protector left "Whispers in the Shadows", after a new album "November", and recorded a new album "In Darkness let me dwell" with Die Verbannten Kinder Eva's (it was released at 22 of Nov.).
In the year 2001 the follow up "Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame" was released. This release was a kind of combination between the old and new style of Summoning. That means that the keyboard lines had been more epic and polyphonic again while the more complex and melodic guitar-style was more close to Stronghold. This time the band used more spoken-word samples to bring a more dramaturgic style to the songs and for the first time the band works with clear vocal choires on the finishing song of the album called "Farwell". The lyrical concept again was totally based on Tolkiens middle earth concept, but for the first time it was combined with some lyrics from another great fantasy author namely "Michael Moorcock". "
| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469  |
Written by Conservationist on 19.04.2009 at 01:38 I agree and I believe it contributes to make the album sound boring.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Aah, I understand what you were saying about Lugburz. I think that's an underrated album among the fans of the band. The drone sound should stay with doom metal bands... It doesn't sound right with the epic thing Summoning do. That's why Oath Bound wasn't that good imo.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 19.04.2009 at 01:50 i find Lugburz to be the worst album by them, simply because this is NOT Summoning for me...just ordinary black metal with nothing special to offer...later albums are that what making Summoning special in my ears
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by Ellrohir on 23.07.2009 at 15:36 If you listen to some classic black metal... You would see that Summoning wasn't ordinary from the beginning.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| VPeter Posts: 1450  |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 23.07.2009 at 18:28 Lugburz is a plain album for it's era, there is no way around it. Sigh's Scorn Defeat and Infidel Art are way better better albums of Symphonic Black then Lugburz and Dimmu Borgir's Stormblast and The Covenant's In Times Before the Light released a year later also are way better.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 |
Written by VPeter on 23.07.2009 at 19:43 You're right, but when I read "Ordinary Black" I usually understand that like "classic stuff like Darkthrone, Mayhem, Buzum and so on"... so that's why I thought "Summoning doesn't sound like that, at least for me"
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
Well i have to say, i dont enjoy black metal music, just "because it is bm"...first i have to find something in band's stuff to get into...and i found almost nothing on Lugburz...therefore i used the word "ordinary"
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 23.07.2009 at 21:30 I still have to say Lugburz has some great songs for example "Dragons of Time" but the rest is just meh...
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
I only enjoy "through the valley of the frozen kingdom" from Lugburz...this is really great insane song 
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
That song used to be my favorite, but I found it getting old rather fast. I really wonder what Silenius is doing with Kreuzweg Ost, why is it taking so long to finnish the album? I'm afraid the new Summoning album will be delayed to next year...
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
If it will be good enough, i dont have problem to wait
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Valentin B Iconoclast Posts: 10094  |
Holy shit, listening right now to Where Hope and Daylight Dies, WTF this is fucking EPIC, can someone tell me what the song is about? what other non-black metallic songs can you people recommend me from these guys? just don't make them too raw and ugly for me  this is pretty much as "Black" as i can go hahaha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM0YbXEtHtM
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| Diabolos Space For Rent! Posts: 1522  |
Written by Valentin B on 31.08.2009 at 19:46 I wouldn't recommend you the 1st one because it's rawer than the others, but all the others are masterpieces, so just listen to all of them  (but if you want the most epic song ever try "Long Lost To Where No Pathway Goes")
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
From point: South Away, Over Old Hills, Land Of The Dead...those songs i found way more "atmospheric" than "raw" 
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Immortal Posts: 426  |
Written by Diabolos on 01.09.2009 at 12:19 Agreed. I heard this track for the first time last night and was blown away. Truely epic.
---- "Hope is the greatest of all evils, for it prolongs the torment of man." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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| Smurfophagist Posts: 1069  |
Lugburz owns!!!! I've been listening to a lot of Summoning these last few days...especially Lugburz and Minas Morgul. I enjoy a few songs from Oath Bound as well, but in my opinion, nothing can be compared to Lugburz. there's a lot of soul in this album. everything after Minas Morgul is kinda repetitive if you give it a closer listen. but I have to say that Summoning is one of the few bands whose entire discography is appealing to me.
---- Having a signature is an absolute must.
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
Seeing your fav bands list, no wonder you prefer Lugburz
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Ur-Drago Posts: 69 |
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| Calendula Posts: 6 |
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| Mahler Posts: 12  |
My personal favorite is "oath bound" because "Land of the Dead" is one of the most epic songs i've EVER heard. I could listen to that every day and never get bored in 12 minutes, and when the chanting kicks in 7 minutes in....SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
Hm...i somehow dont see "Land Of The Dead" being that "epic"  ...definitely not that much as other ones by them...great song indeed anyway
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Ur-Drago Posts: 69 |
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| Mahler Posts: 12 |
Written by Ur-Drago on 21.09.2009 at 06:59 Wow, i thought they had a whole group singing, if it was just him, its more amazing than i would have thought. 2 flutes huh, im gonna go listen to it to see if i can tell.
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
I finally pirated newly released Tribute to Summoning - And In The Darkness Bind Them i am currently so excited from it, i cant rate it fairly so far...but some covers really rocks - Sarratum - Long Lost To Where No Pathway Goes, Frekkr - Khazad Dum, Griefshire - Land of the Dead ... those are so wonderful! i was already considering getting original cds (only was a bit feared of sending blindly money somewhere to Poland), now i know i must have this one day
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
Written by Ellrohir on 07.10.2009 at 01:15 Really? I have found what I listened of that album downright utter crap. In particular the Griefshire's Land of The Dead cover, how can you even like that utter crap? terrible tincan drums, drowened vocals and it does nothing different from the orginal it's just an very watereded down and shitized version of the original. The Tribute album is filled with terrible shitty beginner teen bands who sometimes haven't even released an demo. the songs of Kauan and Morgan The Bard were the only good one's I heard so far of it.
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669 |
Well i was satisfied with most of the tracks after the first listening...you are probably right about the point, most of the bands arent professional and you can hear it - when you concentrate on searching mistakes...i was enjoying new point of views of songs i know so well in original...
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep
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| Lord_Regnier Posts: 1469 |
Written by VPeter on 07.10.2009 at 01:31 The only band featured on this cover album I ever heard is Elffor. And, imo, Elffor is a pathetic shit band like Striborg. If it gives an indication on the cover album, let me say it really does not bode well. I surely won't buy this cover album. First, I hate covers in general. It's a thing I find completely useless and pointless (move your ass, use your brains and create your own songs, instead of copying others). Second, I don't think any other band can play Summoning's music like Summoning are doing because it's a band who has its own style and sound. I'll listen to the songs on the Myspace page before the weekend but I have a strong feeling it will be utter crap, like Pétur says. I expect watered down and shittified versions of the originals, indeed.
---- "Why would we fear death, when life is so much more frightening?"
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| Ur-Drago Posts: 69 |
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| VPeter Posts: 1450 |
Written by Lord_Regnier on 07.10.2009 at 13:57 If you already hate Elffor's cover you will surely hate the rest, that cover is decent compared to the rest. You already said one of the problems of this tribute album " I don't think any other band can play Summoning's music like Summoning are doing because it's a band who has its own style and sound." that is correct, for example Theudho's cover of "Marching Homewards" is technically good but it's played like any average pagan black metal band - destroying all the original atmosphere. I also don't understand all these beginner bands on this album . Why the hell would you cover an excellent song that you know barely needs improvement? And how cocky can you be to expect praise for it, when you know perfectly well you are just rookie and don't have the materials and talent yet to make professional good songs.
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