Starting a new post about this amazing epic/atmospheric black metal band from Austria. Please stay on topic.

"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". "