Summoning

Background

The group was founded in 1993 by Michael Gregor, Richard Lederer and Alexander Trondl, who took the pseudonyms of Silenius, Protector and Trifiksion respectively. Richard Lederer used to play drums in the now-unknown and long-disintegrated metal band Marlignom. In addition, the Protector spent four years in a music school at the drummer. Silenius's musical experience was limited to participation in the obscure doom metal band Shadow Vale and several years of study in the piano school of music. Before creating Summoning, Michael Gregor also played with Raymond Pazuzu Wells in the Cromm group, and Trifixion played in the black metal band Pervertum. Once meeting in a Vienna bar, Silenius, Protector and Trifixion decided to found a new group, which is now known as “Summoning”.

The band recorded two demo albums (Upon the Viking's Stallion and Anno Mortiri Domini), as well as two splits (“Creation of a Dark Age” and “The Urilia Text”) along with “Pazuzu” - a project in the genre of “dark wave” Austrian musician Raymond "Pazuzu" Wells. Demo tapes were published in a symbolic circulation of 50 copies. The Tales from Northern Forests and Upon the Viking's Stallion tracks from the Anno Mortui Domini demo were used for Where Winters Forever Cry and Flight of the Nazgul songs on the Lugburz studio debut album.

Lugburz and Minas Morgul

In 1995, Summoning signed with Napalm Records, which released the band's first album, Lugburz. The disc was named in honor of Lugburz - the fortress of Sauron from the Tolkien's work “ The Lord of the Rings ”. The lyrics were also dedicated to The Lord of the Rings and were abstract descriptions of death, darkness and darkness in Middle-earth . The album cover was made in black and white classic for black metal and contained an inscription in the Gothic font. The music was written primarily in the style of traditional black metal (with fast guitar parts, the characteristic abrasive sound of buzzing guitars and hysterically shrill screaming), but in the instrumental intro of “Gray Havens” and the compositions “Flight of the Nazgul” and “Dragons of Time” fairly widely used keyboards within the genre. It was these inclusions that were the beginnings of the band’s future unique sound. “Lugburz” became the most gloomy and most musically demanding album in the discography.

The next album of the group, “Minas Morgul”, which was released in the same 1995, had a radically different musical character. The keyboard parts became the dominant element of the sound canvas, and the sound of the guitar was "pushed back" to the background. The parts of guitars themselves were simplified as much as possible, they became sketchy, playing the role of a sound “appendage” to the keyboard passages. The latter were characterized by an incredible atmospheric and unique sound. The group refused the services of drummer Trifixion, and since Minas Morgul, all percussion instruments were performed on a synthesizer .

Dol Guldur and Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame

The next album, Summoning Dol Guldur, continued the development and deepening of the group's stylistics. The music has been enriched with elements of neoclassical, folk and even ambient industrial (“Over old hills”). Album Stronghold (1999) revealed a new facet of the duo. The guitar parts became more noticeable and the style of the game changed somewhat: the not very intelligible sound of the standard black “heart” was replaced by staccato, clear and heavier riffs. Coupled with branded synthesizer moves, this brought a real breakthrough. Many Stronghold is considered the pinnacle of creativity duet.

In 2001, the album Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame . According to the musicians, his name again relates to Tolkien .

Silenius : This is another, not without irony, “bow” to Tolkien. “Heroes” are us who glorify his glory. However, if she, his fame, only grows over the years, then our, modest, on the contrary, remains equally insignificant and once, it will probably fade forever (we are talking about a possible disintegration of the team). Thus, unlike Tolkien, we are nothing more than "mortal heroes" " ^[1] .

Lost Tales and Oath Bound

After the release of the album, Silenius and Protector took up their side projects. . In 2003, the band released a mini-disc called Lost Tales, which contained unpublished tracks recorded for Dol Guldur. In 2006, another studio album was released under the name Oath Bound . Participants explained such a long break between the albums with problems in their personal lives and the lack of fresh ideas. ^[2]

Old Mornings Dawn

In February 2012, the group talked about intensively working on a new album and plans to finish it by the end of the year ^[3] . In December, the name of the upcoming album, “Old Mornings Dawn,” was announced, but the work dragged on and the disc was released only in June 2013 via Napalm Records. The lyrics of the album are still based on the works of Tolkien , in particular, on the history of Earendil Morehod, which reached the “city of true sadness and the city of dreams” Valinor ^[4] .

Protector and Silenius also participated in the Die Verbannten Kinder Evas side-project. Silenius in 1998 founded the project Kreuzweg Ost , with which he recorded two albums in industrial style. Since 1998, Silenius is also the vocalist of one of the oldest Austrian black metal bands Amestigon. Richard Lederer (Protector) releases darkquave music as part of the Ice Ages project.

Taking into account side projects, in the opinion of Musical Magazine, 1995 was the most productive musical activity of Protector with Silenius, during which they took part in creating the following Summoning albums: Lugburz, Minas Morgul ; Pazuzu .. And All Was Silent ; Grabesmond - demo ; Die Verbannten Kinder Evas Die Verbannten Kinder Evas ; Abigor Orkblut ; Abigor Nachthymnen ; Ice Ages Strike The Ground ; Welten Brand Das Nachtvolk ; Sanguis Et Cinis Schicksal . ^[one]

Albums

• Lugburz (1995)
• Minas Morgul (1995)
• Dol Guldur (1996)
• Stronghold (1999)
• Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame (2001)
• Oath Bound (2006)
• Old Mornings Dawn (2013)
• With Doom We Come (2018)

Mini Albums

• Nightshade Forests (1997)
• Lost Tales (2003)
• Of Pale White Morns and Darkened Eves (2014)

Demos

• Upon the Viking's Stallion (1993)
• Anno Mortiri Domini (1993)

• summoning.info - official website of Summoning
• Band history
• Summoning Biography MusicMight . The date of appeal is November 6, 2012. Archived November 20, 2012.