Summoning (band)

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Summoning
From left: Protector, Silenius
From left: Protector, Silenius
Background information
Origin Vienna, Austria
Genre(s) Black metal
Atmospheric metal
Epic metal
Years active 1993 - present
Label(s) Napalm Records
Associated
acts		 Die Verbannten Kinder Evas
Ice Ages
Website http://www.summoning.info/
Members
Protector (Richard Lederer)
Silenius (Michael Gregor)
Former members
Trifixion (Alexander Trondl)
For other uses of the word, "summoning", see Summoning (disambiguation).

Summoning is an Austrian epic/atmospheric black metal band. Their style has been described as 'Tolkien metal' - not without reason, for the lyrics on most of the albums they have published yet deals with the mythological world of J. R. R. Tolkien. The notable exception being Stronghold.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Summoning was formed somewhere in 1993 by Silenius (Michael Gregor), Protector (Richard Lederer) and Trifixion (Alexander Trondl). Before creating Summoning, Protector was playing drums in a kind of "old fashioned" thrash/death metal band Marlignom[1] and had embarked on a four year study of drums in music school. Silenius was in a doom metal band Shadow Vale (at 16 years old) and had a few years in music school studying piano. Before Summoning, Silenius was making music, together with Pazuzu (Ray Wells) in a band Cromm. Trifixion played in Pervertum.

Summoning made 2 demos (Upon the Viking's stallion and Anno Mortiri Domini),as well as a split with the Austrian band Pazuzu (The Urilia Text) and a five-track promo tape for Lugburz. Nearly all songs from the demos were never released after or took place on CDs in a very different version.

The demos sold quite well in a record shop in Vienna, called "Why not". Some time later Silenius got in contact with T.T. (Thomas Tannenberger), eventually leading to the birth of Abigor. Silenius ended up doing all vocals for Abigor releases (except the demos) as a permanent member until 1999. The first Abigor album was recorded for the young Napalm Records label, which led to Silenius managing to get a deal from Napalm for Summoning's debut Lugburz in 1995. At that time the Summoning crew was: Silenius - vocals, keyboards, bass; Protector - keyboards, guitar; Trifixion - drums (his last release with the band); Pazuzu made some additional vocals and wrote some lyrics. Lugburz was more tradional black metal and very different from the band's later releases that would follow.

The band continued as a duo after the departure of Trifixion, releasing Minas Morgul also in 1995. This was the band's first release in their new style, an epic and atmospheric style utlizing guitar purely as a backround instrument and synth almost as a lead, using re-recorded early songs. Dol Guldur, in 1996, continued this style and also saw an influence from Protector's darkwave project Ice Ages. It also credits J.R.R. Tolkien for lyrics. Then in 1997, the Nightshade Forests EP was released, and has since been included on the recent Dol Guldur pressings . After this, the band ceased all work for nearly two years, and also stopped work with many of their other music projects. But in 1999, Summoning returned with Stronghold, which while still in the classic Summoning style, focused more on guitar work to created melody lines, rather than keyboards and synths, as in previous releases.

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, with the keyboard lines being more epic and polyphonic while the guitars bore a similarity with the more complex and rock-esque guitar-style from Stronghold[2]. 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 song Farewell. The lyrical concept again was totally based on Tolkien's Middle-earth concept, but for the first time it was combined with some inspiration from Michael Moorcock's fantasy writings. In 2003, they released the Lost Tales EP, which consisted of leftovers from the Dol Guldur sessions, and in 2006 they released Oath Bound, which consisted of all new material. The long break between the latest two albums was due to struggles in the band's personal life, along with lack of ideas. [3]. A mini CD is expected to be released in 2007 containing at least one song which didn't make it onto Oath Bound due to size issues.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Line-up

  • Protector: Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
  • Silenius: Bass, Vocals, Keyboards

[edit] Guest musicians

  • Trifixion: Drums on Lugburz
  • Pazuzu: Vocal parts on Lugburz
  • Tania Borsky: Female Vocals on Stronghold

[edit] Related Bands

Protector (Richard Lederer) is engaged in other projects

Silenius (Michael Gregor) is the creator and sole member of Kreuzweg Ost.

Other bands with friends of Summoning are listed on their website http://www.summoning.info under links.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Second page of About.com interview with Summoning
  2. ^ Chronicals of Chaos interview
  3. ^ First page of About.com interview with Summoning

[edit] External links

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