Summoning was formed sometime in 1993 by Silenius (Michael Gregor), Protector (Richard Lederer) and Trifixion (Alexander Trondl). Before creating Summoning, Protector was playing drums in a thrash/death metal band called Marlignom 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 the band Pervertum.
Summoning recorded two 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 members of Summoning were: Silenius – vocals, keyboards, bass; Protector – vocals, keyboards, guitar; Trifixion – drums (his last release with the band); Pazuzu lent some additional vocals and wrote some of the lyrics. Lugburz was more traditional 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 in 1995. This was the band's first release in their new style, an epic and atmospheric style utilizing guitar purely as a background instrument and synth almost as a lead, using re-recorded early songs. Dol Guldur, in 1996, continued this style and saw an influence from Protector's darkwave project Ice Ages. It also credits J.R.R. Tolkien for lyrics. 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 create melodic lines rather than keyboards and synthesizers than 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. This time the band used more spoken-word samples to bring a more dramatic style to the songs and for the first time the band works with clear vocal choirs on the song "Farewell". The lyrical concept again was totally based on Tolkien's Middle-earth, 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.
2006 saw the release of Oath Bound, which consisted of all new material. The long break between Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame and Oath Bound was due to struggles in the band members' personal lives, along with lack of ideas. Oath Bound featured a "relaxed arpeggio style" guitar sound, which gave a more epic feeling to the sound of the album. The band also had higher-quality equipment available to them for the recording of the album and were able to create greater choir vocals than they had done before. A 4-song mini CD was suggested for release in 2007 containing at least one song which didn't make it onto Oath Bound due to size issues, however, this idea was abandoned and Protector instead began work on music for a full-length release while waiting for Silenius to finish recording the next Kreuzweg Ost album.
Following the release of Oath Bound, Summoning entered a period of inactivity. Silenius experienced a creative block and lacked inspiration for creating new music for Summoning. He also suffered a heart-attack which "knocked me out for another half a year, but somehow all this brought me to a point where I got hungry again and since then I concentrated again on making riffs. Everything started in small steps. but after a while I knew in which direction the music was going and the more I knew this, the easier it was to compose and the result is what you hear now."
In February 2012, the band announced on their website that they were in the process of writing new songs, and were hoping to have most of the songs complete by the end of the year. In December 2012 it was announced that all the guitars and Protector's vocal parts for the new album were complete and that the upcoming album would be entitled Old Mornings Dawn. Old Mornings Dawn was released in June 2013 on Napalm Records and lyrically focuses mostly on nature themes, as well as J.R.R. Tolkien's Valinor.
In 2015 the band confirmed that they had already begun working on creating a new album, and were focused on rewriting some of the leftover material from Old Mornings Dawn.
On December 15, 2016 a compilation tribute album titled 'In Mordor Where The Shadows Are - Homage to Summoning' was released by Wolfspell Records. The album features covers of 21 different Summoning songs by artists such as Caladan Brood and Emyn Muil.
On August 12, 2017, Summoning posted an update on their official Facebook page noting that despite troubles, setbacks and disputes, the band's new album will be released in January 2018 through Napalm Records. The band posted a teaser of the new music, although they did not disclose the name of the forthcoming album.
On October 1, 2017, Summoning posted an update on their Facebook page announcing the title of the album as With Doom We Come. The album was subsequently released on January 5, 2018.
The band's debut album Lugburz was a traditional black metal album, with a raw, lo-fi production style. On their following album Minas Morgul the band's sound changed significantly, and has been characterised as "a departure from straight black metal in favor of bold atmospheric experimentation which retains a definite blackened feel." The band's sound has remained relatively consistent since then. The band's sound is frequently described as 'epic, 'hypnotic', and 'atmospheric', and makes extensive use of keyboards, choir vocals, clean singing, synthesized instruments, and programmed drums. Though the drums are programmed, they are played using a keyboard rather than with a drum machine. Their sound has been described as "a particularly widescreen version of progressive black metal, a style that more recently has been infused with an almost medieval strain of twiddly folk music of the lutes 'n' flutes variety." The band's music is deeply influenced by the literature of J. R. R. Tolkien, particularly The Lord of the Rings. Most of the band's lyrics are derived from Tolkien's own works. Silenius has claimed to be influenced by dark wave and ritualistic music as well as fantasy literature.
The band has said that they consider themselves to be composers rather than musicians and do not practice together before recording. Guitarist Protector does not own a guitar and has used a different borrowed guitar for every recording since Dol Guldur.
Across the Streaming Tide
Summoning Lyrics
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Rejoice to live and laugh to be
And scarce the blast the curbs and the tree
And bids before it quail and flee
In winter when years when the years burn low
As fire wherein no firebrands glow
And winds dispel as they blow
The hearts of western elves burn bright
With joy that mocks the spring
To hear all heaven's keen clarions ring
Music that bids the spirit sing
And wind by night in northern lands
Arose, and lord it cried
And drove the ships from ancient strands
Across the streaming tide
The lyrics of Summoning's song "Across the Streaming Tide" describe the changing seasons and the reactions of nature to these changes. The first verse speaks of autumn, when the wind and sea are lively and carefree, causing trees to sway and birds to take flight. In contrast, the second verse speaks of winter, a time when the fires are dim and the snow is heavy, causing the stormy weather to recede. The song describes the vibrant spirits of western elves, who feel joy and merriment on listening to the music of the skies. The final verse speaks of the powerful wind that blows in the northern lands, disrupting the sailing ships and carrying them across the streaming tide.
In essence, the song describes the powerful forces of nature that rule all aspects of life on earth. The lyrics reinforce the idea that nature is a constant presence that follows its own cycles and rhythms, irrespective of human intervention. The use of evocative imagery and personification serves to evoke the whimsical and enchanting nature of the changing seasons.
Line by Line Meaning
In autumn when wind and the sea
As autumn arrives, the wind and sea seem to come alive with joy and energy
Rejoice to live and laugh to be
The elements seem to revel in their existence and enjoy every moment of it
And scarce the blast the curbs and the tree
The wind is gentle enough that it doesn't harm the natural world around it
And bids before it quail and flee
However, it is still powerful enough to make anything in its path tremble and run away
In winter when years when the years burn low
As winter arrives and the years come to an end
As fire wherein no firebrands glow
The fire of life seems to be dying down, and there is no hope for rekindling it
And winds dispel as they blow
The harsh winds seem to blow away any remaining warmth and light
The stormy wings of snow
Leaving only the cold, turbulent snow as the only visible force of nature
The hearts of western elves burn bright
The elven people of the west are filled with a fiery passion
With joy that mocks the spring
Their joy is so intense that it seems to mock the renewal and rebirth that comes with the spring season
To hear all heaven's keen clarions ring
They are inspired by the heavenly music that seems to ring out loud and clear
Music that bids the spirit sing
This music is so beautiful that it makes their spirits want to sing along with it
And wind by night in northern lands
At night, the wind in the northern lands becomes more powerful
Arose, and lord it cried
It seems to gain a sense of authority and commands attention
And drove the ships from ancient strands
It becomes so fierce that it drives ships away from the shores they once sailed upon
Across the streaming tide
The ships are forced to cross the rough and turbulent waters to escape the powerful wind
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL GREGOR, RICHARD LEDERER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind