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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CAN this be described?!, October 5, 2003
NOBODY can classify this work of beauty! First of all, you might be wondering how long 9 songs is - 9 isn't a lot. Well, including the intro, it clocks in at 64:27 - that's incredibly long for 8 songs minus a 3 minute intro. Each track is extremely slow and what you would never expect for black metal. What is there really to say about such a CD? Well, one of the songs is completely opera and in ALL of the songs, when the growler growls, it isn't as loud as it is in other black metal bands. Overall, this is the softest black metal band I can think of out of everything I've ever heard. This includes Samael, Rotting Christ, And Oceans, Dragon Lord, Cradle of Filth, and many others. So how good exactly is this? To be honest with you, the first time I listened to Stronghold, I was expecting a medieval power metal sound, and the grunts surprised me so much that I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. If you want to get into black metal, this is one of many softer bands to do so with - perhaps the very first black metal band I would recommend, followed by Samael who is just plain unbelievable with their keys. That's another thing... Summoning isn't a huge fan of keys, but you won't be blown away with a blasting bass sound as with 90% of the death metal out there. I don't really know what else to say, just that this is unlike anything I've ever heard before.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some of the best Atmospheric Black Metal there is., November 28, 2005
This might be quite similar to my review of "Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame." A lot of the same things apply, but that doesn't mean the album sounds the same. Summoning's albums are so addicting to me for some reason. I am not really a fan of Tolkien, but that is who inspires this amazing band and gives them the medieval/fantasy setting in their music, thus their uniqueness and greatness. Even though the instruments are mostly synthesized or keyboard sounds, it doesn't matter. It's perfect like this. Summoning isn't anything close to traditional Black Metal. They have managed to become sort of a "calm and atmospheric" black metal. The songs are kind of slow-paced and quite symphonic, but they manage to give me such an adrenaline rush sometimes without being too aggressive. There are still heavy guitars and black metal style vocals, but it's just different. You'll know when you hear it. Some people might think the music is a bit too repetitive, but I like it like that, in this case. I think it makes more of an atmosphere, and also the parts are so good, you want them to be long anyway... it's the same situation as Agalloch. (another great band to check out if you haven't already)
As for the "fantasy" thing, this band is anything but cheesy or power-metallish. It consists of very harsh guitars, with keyboards and ambient parts added in, and relatively "calm" screeching vocals. As much of an oxymoron as that may sound, trust me it makes sense.
I really can't decide where this lies in my top summoning albums. It's probably my second favorite to Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame.
"Khun" is a short intro, starting off with some distant, majestic drumming, quietly adding a few other instruments, giving the feel of a dark, medieval day. The next song "Long Lost to Where No Pathway Goes" starts off with another dark, dingy melody and quickly introduces the guitar riff you'll be hearing on and off the next 7 minutes. The distant, eerie screeching vocals emerge before too long. The "chorus" for this song is a bit heavier yet still a slow pace. It sounds like a dark, creepy dungeon with no way out. There are plentiful keyboards underlying everything which are sometimes hard to notice until they are by themselves. "The Glory Disappears" sounds a bit more... uplifting I suppose, maybe "majestic" is a better word.
My favorite song is probably "Like Some Snow-White Marble Eyes," starting with a calm keyboard melody painting an atmosphere of a snow-white day in medieval times; quickly adding in the heaviness like a brutal battle erupts across the field. The same melody continues on through the heaviness and the soft keyboard melody is revisited a few times in interludes where I picture a great hero slowly falling in the battle. There are also a few extended instrumental portions of the song.
"Where Hope and Daylight Die" is heavy on the percussion and a bit darker of a song with creepy operatic female vocals, giving tinge of a gothic type feel. It goes well with the rest of the album however and is a nice track thrown in for a little variety. "The Rotting Horse on the Deadly Ground" contains some synth'd horns, and actually has vocals harsher than most songs, almost frightening. This song switches to and from the calm atmospheric parts very suddenly. "The Shadow Lies Frozen on the Hills" certainly has some interesting melodies and contrast between harsh and calm.
"The Loud Music of the Sky" is actually not loud at all; it is a mostly atmospheric instrumental. It's probably the song with the longest and most calmer sections, but the harsh vocals and guitars can still be found. "A Distant Flame Before the Sun" is quite varied and actually uses some samples which none of the rest of the album does.
Something I haven't mentioned in my Summoning reviews, if you like them you should really check out Apotheosis, a much unknown one-man band from Malta with a somewhat similar music style. His only album right now is entitled "Farthest from the Sun," it is somewhat similar to Summoning around this era but the songs are more majestic, much bigger portions of them are instrumental, and the harsh parts are actually harsher. Check out my review.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A few chinks in the armor, but still mesmerizing as always, July 30, 2002
Note: I would give this four a half stars if I could.Summoning is my favorite band on the planet and I've been a fan of their since their very first album. In case you are not familiar with your style, here's a quick breakdown: -Slow, drawn out percussion
-black metal rasps
-very subdued guitars
-melody driven by medieval keyboards. Medieval and gothic keyboards, btw, are two totally different things, i.e. medieval rules, gothic ....
-lyrics DIRECTLY from Tolkein
-it should be noted that, imo, after Lugburz, none of Summoning's material is black metal at all. Indeed, sometimes I would have a hard time claiming they are even really metal at all anymore Stronghold saw a slight shift in their style from a more melancholic sound to a more grandiose style on this release, with a touch of romanticism in the aesthetic (again, NOT GOTH CHEEZE), but maintained its overall structure as that of the previous releases. Someone on LARM once disparagingly stated that Summoning now write soundtrack music to "Gone with the Wind". This is somewhat accurate though I would use it as a compliment instead of an insult. The first few songs are VERY lush and grandiose, simply beautiful, and develop wonderfully, with more dramatic and obvious crescendos in intensity and dense layering of elements than on other CDs. The last song is simply incredible and cannot be described, you must hear it to believe it, and no "Summoning's Greatest Hits" compilation would be complete without it. Simply fantastic. There are, however, a few chinks in the armour, as I stated, this time around. A few of the later songs sound a bit tried and contrived, as if the boys were running out of ideas and just went to the Summoning-song generating maching to fill up the always epic length of their CD. I am particularly thinking of tracks six, seven, and to some extent, eight. They are not bad songs, however, and are still listenable.... *sometimes*, but they usually get skipped and they do not even hold a candle to the remaining tracks. As I said, however, Summoning's CDs are VERY long so even with those few sub-par tracks, there is still plenty of completely original and astounding material for your dollar. (This problem, however, takes over most of the follow-up "Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame," which is mostly sub-par with a few gems). All in all, a strong release (no pun intended) from one of the greatest musical acts out there. Not as consistent or as melancholic as previous releases, but refreshing and beautiful. If you are looking for completely original music, pick this up, you won't be disappointed because NOBODY, unless they're a Summoning clone, makes music like this.
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