Summoning

[crystallogic13]

NEW SUMMONING IN JANUARY!!! Get prepared for the journey!!



Can not wait already.

[Ananoriel]

I hope it will be as good as always, but I think it will be

[Menelvagor]

Many have surely seen this by now, but I'll post it anyway as it's too exciting not to.

Sourced from Battlehelm : the new album, titled "With Doom We Come", releases January 5. Track list in link.

Nice to see Silvertine getting a song of its own, alongside Caradhras... now if only Fanuidhol would get a nod in a future release, that would be a commanding tribute to the three primordial peaks.

Somewhat mixed feelings regarding the album cover (admittedly my bias comes from anticipating something that would look well on a shirt or hoodie, as I wear their gear a lot). Had to study the pic a good while to actually decipher what that blob in the middle is meant to be. Usage of crown-frames on metal album covers is getting trite and self-conscious by now, but then again if anyone has earned the self-conscious right to insert a crown on their album, undisputably it is Summoning.

Finding the pic in bigger resolution actually reveals this cover art to be surprisingly more tasteful than its thumbnails suggest (especially the age-worn accents on the framing masonry). Looks like they're going for a more visceral in-your-face approach. More raw and immediate than having yet another landscape-atmospheric-metal-art cover. And just like their music: this here is no mere fantasy escapism, but gateway of wonder and awe through which ancient ruinous power leaks from one primordial meta-reality into our own.

[thekeeper]

I don't very much like the cover. Seems incomplete and even a bit unoriginal. The black shading around it seems odd, like it could have been much more ornate and interesting but they just put shadow around it instead. Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame is still my favorite album of theirs, favorite cover art as well (Dol Goldur is probably second for both). Are there more samples of this album out? I've only heard the one instrumental preview. Someone in the facebook group said that he got an early listen of the whole thing and it's much 'cleaner' sounding than their previous work. Not sure if I'm into the sound of that, but then again I honestly haven't listened to any past Mortal Heroes except for Lost Tales. Teaser video seemed alright.

[Menelvagor]

Have to agree about LMHSYF standing out above the rest as a favorite single complete work by them. As much as I love their other albums, and not by any lesser extent, there always tends to be a song here and there that is "only" good, whereas LMHSYF to me is untouchable in its magnificent consistency. It also comes loaded with very particular memories from its earliest listening experiences, which might prompt me to single it out above others - it has become almost a concept album in my mind, I always let it play from start to end uninterrupted, and it is still my most-played Summoning album, to the point where it has become more than mere music and something like part of my being.

I could absolutely say the same about some of the songs from "Oathbound" and "Old Morning's Dawn"... inasmuch as the immensity and depth of their listening experiences words cannot describe... but their emotional magnitude throws into contrast some of their 'neighbor' songs that do not quite match their intensity and pale in comparison, and at times I end up skipping some of the latter while returning to favorites.  

You mentioned not having listened to anything younger than their LMHSYF/LT era, and I was about to encourage you to and name-drop some favorite songs, but then remembered how very subjective it gets when picking favorite Summoning songs. Did any stuff from "Oathbound" or "OMD" kinda turn you off sound-wise or in terms of production, or is it more about just not getting a chance to give them a proper spin?
Thematically and lyrically, these last two albums build heavily on the Silmarillion material and other (comparatively) lesser known content from earlier stages of Tolkien's world-building, and thinking of it now as I type this, I have to admit it definitely influences and shapes my perception of the songs I would list as absolute personal favorites (form those two albums). Their lyrics and conceptual content does inseparably intertwine with sound textures and drive my listening immersion into their sound-worlds. Whereas to a listener who isn't as heavily into Tolkien's history of Middle Earth (apart from LotR and Hobbit), these songs would unfold a different listening experience, and the music alone (bereft of familiarity with lyrical atmosphere that propels it) may even be found somewhat weak or lacking, and may understandably result in disinclination to invest more time into it.                          
Those songs are like geodes though, or gems in their raw unpolished state. Easily mistaken for pebbles, and they are waiting not so much to be discovered as to be cracked open or polished by concentrated effort of repeated collaborative engagement by the listener. Maybe that's part of the equation... the listener contributes to -and completes- the songs by co-authoring their meanings for oneself.

About the new "cleaner sound" (haven't heard, just referencing same fb comment) :
It could be a comparative approximation rather than indication of overall direction. For instance, "Oathbound" is way more fuzzy and 'blurry/shrill'-sounding than LMHSYF, and "OMD" falls somewhere in between them. Compared to these last two, LMHSYF is cleanest of the three. So perhaps this alleged cleaner sound is a return to that dungeon-atmospheric aural aesthetic that LMHSYF captures so well... that booming "deep echo" drum sound closer to the front, less buzz-saw shrill guitars, maybe vocals more forward in the mix for more articulate enunciation, clean keyboards too. So it could be a relative comparison, and hopefully nothing too experimental that departs from the recognizable Summoning-atmosphere.

No new official samples yet, to my knowledge, apart from earlier teaser. There's gonna be some for sure, Napalm loves to whet the appetite. I honor the integrity of keeping preview/promo copies close to chest, and really hope the album won't be leaked prematurely. Makes anticipation all that much more sweeter.

[thekeeper]

Menelvagor, It's really that I've just never given them a proper listen. I only own four Summoning albums, but I've heard everything from LMHSYF to their beginning. I'm not sure why I haven't listened to Oathbound or Old Morning's Dawn, maybe they seem to me like things to purchase before listening and I've never gotten around to actually doing so. It doesn't have to do with the lyrical and thematical material, I'm fine with any Tolkien-centric focus (I'd like to see a Summoning take on Leaf by Niggle, ha). I have the Virus Productions reissues of their past albums, what's been released so far (four albums). A while ago, I asked the guy who runs the label if he's planning on doing the discography and he said he'll eventually get around to special tape editions of all their stuff, so I guess I'm waiting for that. I'd really like a clam-shell edition of Dol Goldur. I have the 'bronze edition' LMHSYF copy and it's wonderful. The silver and gold editions of the releases have those same color tapes, while the bronze editions have a color specific to the album (LMHSYF is yellow), although I did purchase the bronze edition of Stronghold but he realized he was sold out and sent me a silver edition instead. Oh well. Once those two albums get their editions, I'll surely buy them.

I suppose you're right, LMHSYF is actually pretty clean, comparatively. It does have particularly cavernous feel to it which kind of keeps me from calling it a clean sounding album. It doesn't sound entirely 'studio' as people might assume with a descriptor like 'clean', I suppose that's what I'm thinking in terms of. All their albums have their own atmosphere and sound, so I'm sure the new one will feel proper in its delivery.

[jondexter]

I am blow away by the cover art, maybe the best Summoning one so far for me in terms of attention to detail, concerning for example the 'side scapes' and also the center is like a serpent(dragon) descending from 'the next world' down upon this plane haha

[crystallogic13]

Saw it yesterday too someone posted it on fb. Again, CAN'T WAIT.

Nice discussion on their albums, if I start with each one I will write a wall of text..

But let me just say that I got into them with Dol Goldur, I think a lot of people especially in older days too, so I for a long long time considered it my favorite. BUT there are two albums which even surpassed that masterpiece. Stronghold and Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame.. Both are beyond classic, I truly really believe everyone whatever kind of music he listens to, to give em a chance. Stronghold is the perfect soundtrack for any midnight excursion in the wild while enjoying the moon, the wind and the rain, or way even beyond that. It takes you there anyway. And there's always something in it to again discover.. Such a classic. Let Mortal Heroes is a myth of its own, a majestic showcase of where Epic Atmospheric Black Metal can go, endless hymns for adventurous souls who wish to have lived in a different age. Endless and timeless albums. Both.

Their later stuff is great too, they are continuing the journey. Both Oath Bound and Old Morning's Dawn, if you haven't given them a chance, just put Caradhras, from their latest till now to see how high Summoning can still take you. And I put that song among their best . It's up there. Both have great quality.

Minas Morgul is great too, having just Passing of .. and Marching Homewards makes it a must buy !! Lugburz is not bad definitely but it's intended for the more into either BM or Summoning hardcores.

Each of their songs is unique .

[andrewwerdna]

I think Lugburz tends to get overlooked because they hadn't quite found their distinguishing sound yet, maybe a bit like Darkthrone's death metal stuff before A Blaze in the Northern Sky, but I overlistened to all of Summoning's symphonic stuff so much that I often go for Lugburz these days. I still haven't really gotten into Old Mornings Dawn yet, but I gave it a spin recently and was really digging it. I agree with Menelvagor that Summoning albums really do require a number of listens before they start to sink in effectively. So considering that I still haven't fully digested Old Mornings Dawn, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit for their new album, but it's cool that they're still doing their thing after all these years.

Anyways, here's a track I really like from Lugburz, especially 1:30 onward.

[andrewwerdna]

Uh oh, reminds me of Limbonic Art - Sources of Agonies.

[andrewwerdna]

I can't stop listening to this song lately:

[crystallogic13]

Hehe lately I've also can't stop listening to another song too from Old Morning's Dawn, though it is Caradhras for me.. A recent classic of the band for me.. It only grows more and more in me!! I hope - or I'm sure ! - they'll deliver in less than three months !!

[lusitano]

summoning.bandcamp.com/track/with-doom-i-come

A song is out!

[crystallogic13]

Np



Epic! Their most underrated song I think , it's up there next to all their other masterpieces, classic, awesome , epic eternal hymns! (Farewell, A Distant Flame Before the Sun, Over Old Hills etc etc I gonna write all day long!! )

[skirmisher]

Definitely one of the most important bands of my life. Everything up until Oath Bound is amazing. Oath Bound started to show signs of running out of ideas and it wasn't quite as strong as the classics but it's still pretty solid with an opening track that's just as good as anything from Dol Guldur or Mortal Heroes. Old Mornings Dawn and With Doom We Come I feel have some good moments here and there but overall they're pretty boring. I do appreciate that they still stayed true to their style though.
Stronghold is certainly a top10 album for me and can't say enough about Lugburz. Such an original and distinct sounding album. I think it's very underappreciated. My take on Summoning albums from the best to worst:

Stronghold
Lugburz
Mortal Heroes
Minas Morgul
Dol Guldur
Oath Bound
Old Mornings Dawn
With Doom We Come

The EP's are good too but it's been such a long time since I've listened to them. I think I'm going back to those in a bit.