Summoning couldn't resist releasing another album
inspired by Tolkien. I thought they had given up on that after devoting
something like 80 percent of their previous material to that author. However,
we can all understand the band wanting to cash in on the release of "The
Lord of the Rings" movie.
On Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame, Summoning
presents largely what they have been doing on their albums since they
kicked out their human drummer and started using a drum machine: keyboard
heavy "medieval" music that really goes for the atmospheric
angle. It fits into the black metal world because a) the vocals are windy
and raspy, and b) because the members of Summoning have connections to
the band Abigor.
Honestly, I've never seen the appeal of Summoning.
I've tried. I keep reading how great this stuff is, but to me it's just
so hokey and annoying for the most part. That is, until now. Sure, Summoning
still sounds like the a silly mixture of movie soundtrack and Playstation
role-playing game music, but this time it works all the way through. In
fact, I seem to be becoming addicted to this album the more I listen to
it.
The themes manage to achieve a level of grip on the
listener despite the inherent cheese. If you just leave all your self-conscious
issues at the door of your room, you can put your foot up on your bed
and pretend you're a mighty warrior standing at the edge of a craggy cliff
as you overlook a mystical medieval village, with your sword in hand,
the wind blowing through your long hair. It works.
The music is primarily made up of melodic themes that
are meant to be stirring. The keyboards are made to sound like horns and
other brass instruments that are meant to sound like they are heralding
something terribly medievally important. Buzzing guitars, plodding, sort
of Renaissance-faire drums and forever repeated vocal clips like "In
the darkness…..find them" fill the music out. The windy, raspy
black metal vocals have thankfully been replaced by a more solid, lower
register. I still can stand Summoning's earlier albums only in selected
bits, but I love listening to this one all the way through. But only after
I lock the door to my room.
