The art in the booklet was done by Clarkson Stanfield (1793-1867), Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), and Edward Theodore Compton (1849-1921). The dragon painting on the cover was done by Georg Janny (1864-1935), and the frame was done by Yaroslav Gerzhedovich.
This showed up in the mail a few days ago, so I think I've had enough time to let it sink in. While my tastes in music have changed over the last 10 or so years, Summoning have been a consistent favorite. All of their albums have appealed to me in one way or another, but I'm glad they chose to forge ahead with the sound they discovered after turning a serious corner with the release of "Dol Guldur".
People may complain that all Summoning albums sound the same. Yes, they have a particular sound. However, I would say that with this album, Summoning have shown me that they are capable of exploring different soundscapes with their brand of epic, atmospheric music.
And that's really what this album is - a *highly* atmospheric, not very aggressive collection of really good tunes. The elements that Summoning have incorporated to various degrees are relegated to different roles. Some may cringe, but the guitar tone is more similar to "Old Morning's Dawn" than "Dol Guldur". I have to admit, I thought the tone was weird at first, but I have found it to be relaxing and very satisfying. The drums are pretty much the same, and I'm grateful for that, although they are relegated to a slightly lower position in the mix than in the past.
Indeed, this is a very sparse album, especially for Summoning. The horns are there, but they just kind of float along in the background. There are fewer aggressively nerdy, epic clean choruses they started using on "Let Mortal Heroes Sing...". Some may welcome this, but damn I love those choruses. I can't count the number of times I've belted out those parts in "Caradhras", "Farewell", "Land of the Dead", etc. But, the lack of choruses was an extremely wise choice for this album in particular. Summoning are getting older, and it's a pretty classy way to keep making this style of music.
Finally, I think it's important to mention that the last two tracks are just absolute monsters. "Mirklands" features Silenius on vocals, and his pained howls are peppered throughout the track to create a really mournful piece that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Summoning's other masterful tracks. The last track has Protector doing his singy-type vocals. Silenius is definitely my preferred vocalist (please check out his performance on Amestigon's "Thier" - it's great!), but "With Doom I Come" is just such a great song that I have to forgive the Protector vocals. There is one epic chorus in this track, but it's a lot more chill than say, the "Farewell" chorus.
Summoning have been a divisive band post "Let Mortal Heroes Sing". But personally, I have found myself thoroughly enjoying their later output. By stripping down their music, and focusing on more melancholic themes, Summoning found a fantastic way to continue exploring their sound.
Edit: My core opinion on this album hasn't changed; however, the score has been increased to more accurately reflect the composition skills on this album. This music really does get better with each listen!
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