Band:	Summoning
Album:	Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	October 31, 2001
Guest review by:	Ellrohir

01. A New Power Is Rising
02. South Away
03. In Hollow Halls Beneath The Fells
04. Our Foes Shall Fall
05. The Mountain King's Return
06. Runes Of Power
07. Ashen Cold
08. Farewell

It is always kinda weird to post a review of an album which means so much for you, you will place ultimate rating just because "you feel it so". I will try to state my reasons why I am rating this album so high anyway.

I know many people who claim Summoning are an uninteresting band whose best works were the first ones, when it still was "black enough". I have listened to almost all their works including very first demos, when it was nothing but "ordinary" black metal. As the time flows, they began to develop their specific style, different to almost all other bands. And in my opinion, Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame, is the flashing point of their carrier. Yes, the rest of their albums are great too and I would rate each of them (except Lugburuz) at least 9.5 at once, but LMHSYF means the most for me.

Each time when I am listening to the opening of "South Away", it is like I am riding horseback into the storm of battle. The atmosphere built by usually often repeated, but genially designed music themes concluding (not very marked) harsh guitars, artificial drums, synth melodies is simply great, especially when amplified by some well placed spoken samples (as far as I know mostly taken from some 70ties radio adaptation of LOTR) and of course by Silenius' vocals. Someone should say "artificial drums are crap, a live drummer is always better", but I cannot agree. Just listen to the beginning of "Ashen Cold" and tell me...

Another aspect why Summoning is so unique and great are lyrics. Usually they are not long and verses are often repeated, but I would say genius 4 rhymes are always better than 2 pages of crap. And those lyrics simply are wonderful. They are always muffled and never explicit. Even when you know the words, you have to think what the song is really about and what each verse stands for. It is dark poetry par excellence. In literature lessons, their texts should be analyzed, not some boring poems by crazy modern authors...

To sum it all up - when you are listening to this masterpiece, you are watching how a new power is rising, while you are marching south away to approach the hollow halls beneath the fells, knowing our foes shall fall there. You are witnessing the mountain king's return, seeing heroes casting for runes of power. And ashen cold awaits you before you can say your last farewell. And the only thing you can in the end is - let these (im)mortal heroes sing me again!