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Summoning > Dol Guldur > Reviews
Summoning - Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur - 93%

Lars_Stian, May 27th, 2022

I remember well the now bygone summer days where I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was sixteen, so now six years ago. I was mesmerised by it, there was something so beautiful about the book, even when it was boring - and for a sixteen year old living in a world of short attention spans that ever decrease, the book can often be boring - it still had this charm, this beauty that I absolutely adored, and still adore. Particularly I remember the descriptions of Lothlórien, it was so beautiful, so poetic, I just could not get enough, and I dreamt of this strange place where elves walk bare feet and eternally; and I remember the all-consuming blackness of Khazad-dûm, I remember little repliques that for some reason stuck with me, such as when Frodo says - One should not ask the elves for advice, for they will answer both yes and no. Little things, little details can stick in one's memory and never leave. And fascinated as I was with Lord of the Rings, and even more fascinated as I was with The Silmarillion, I was very happy to find that many black metal bands take themes from Tolkien's works.

But alas, a lot of the black metal that takes themes from Tolkien are, how to phrase this delicately, rather tame. Often the music itself is mediocre, and the use of Tolkien's mythology is a cheap trick to get people interested. An album named "The Strongholds of Orthanc" or something like that, who wouldn't be interested? But then one listens and realises that the Tolkien-theme is merely taped on at the last second and has nothing to do with the music, in truth.

But some bands deliver on their promise, and one of those bands was Summoning in its earlier days. The album Dol Guldur is a phantastic album, and makes some of Tolkien's works come alive with sound. Although I have no doubt that he himself would despise the sound of the album as is, I think that if one rendered the melodies into something more classical, played with harps and violins and the likes, he would - or so I would imagine - at least be honoured by the efforts, and perhaps even adore it.

The songs are long, and they mostly explore one theme. There aren't many different melodies for each song, and one might think that a ten minutes long song with just five or four or maybe just two or three different melodies would get boring and monotonous, but not at all, the songs do not feel dragged out, in fact they are as long as they must be.

Because although the songs do not contain many different melodies, the melodies that are presented are great. They are clear, beautiful, and melodic, they ensnare you and entice you with the feeling of stepping into Tolkien's world, feeling the presence of both orcs and goblins and disgusting creatures, as well as beauty and fairness hidden behind trees and stones, there is beauty and evil presented within the album. The opening song, Nightshade Forests (not counting the introduction that is mostly just noises), which is the most typical black metal song on the album, in my opinion, and serves to give a "softer" entrance to an album that can be a bit heavy for those who listen for the first time, has something distinctly sinister about it, in my opinion, but the "chorus", if one might say, relies on a synth-driven melody, that while not as beautiful and melodic as the rest of the album, sets an example of how the album is written.

It is with the second (proper) song that the album truly begins to me, Elfstone. Now all traditional black metal is left behind, the band no longer tries to impress you with guitar-driven melodies, now the synth steals the attention, and with good cause. The melodies are sublime, and makes one long for the mystical world of Middle Earth, and makes one want to pick up Tolkien's books again and delve into the worlds we all know and love.

Another song I'd like to point at is Kôr, which I think is my favourite song. That isn't to say that the other songs pale in comparison, but this song has something extra, something so beautiful that makes me able to listen to it again and again. Yes, the completely synth-driven guitar-free beginning of Khazad Dúm is a truly beautiful melody, and the piano melody of Over Old Hills is great, but there is something to this song that makes it stand out as one of the best metal songs ever written, in my opinion. It has this simple, peaceful, yet tender and fragile beauty, that is at the same time strangely trist and yet makes one smile as one listens... It tells of a forgotten world of beauty and mythology and mysticism that cannot be reached by the cold realism of the modern world, and one laments the loss of such worlds, and yet one must smile at the thought of it.

For there are many types of art. There is art that merely attempts to create satisfaction, whether it be humour or what have you. For instance, a family-friendly comedy (I am being liberal with the term "art" here), whose purpose is solely to make one laugh. You also have art that focuses on accurately describing the real world, often in hopes of changing it. And then you have the art that I find the most beautiful, the art that comes from a realisation of this world's ugliness and sorrow, art that strives to create a new world of beauty, whither one can escape and find peace and calm and forget. To me, Dol Guldur paints a new world, a refuge, that one can escape to when they are tired of everything.

The production is pretty good, quite clear, it doesn't rely on the foggy production that atmospheric bands often take advantage of, but to be fair, I am not at all sure if production like that would at all work for this album. The clarity of the instruments is no hindrance, and in fact, if one tries, one can quite easily tell what instrument plays what, so if one wants to play along with one's guitar or keyboard, one can quite easily figure out how to play, I would assume. The guitars sound somewhat like chainsaws to me, but that isn't to say they sound "heavy", but they have a distinct sound. But I do not have much negative to say about the production, it's clear enough, it works well, and while it doesn't do much to enhance the music.

The vocals are.... well, they are not always as great. For the most part they are fine - not amazing but just fine - but sometimes it sounds like frog-sounds, and it is just.... a bit weird.... it doesn't sound all that good. But it's not something that really hurts the album a lot, and they are not awful, they are not so bad that you just cannot listen, but overall they are the weaker part of the album.

Just to get it out of the way, one thing always bothered me about this album, although it is minor... Dol Guldur is a fortress on a hill surrounded by woods, and the album cover is... a swamp? Minor as it is, it always bugged me a bit. But who cares.

A great album, one of the greatest Tolkien type of black

And slowly hither the years have gone - 93%

Macrobius Manifesto, December 3rd, 2021

Out of the mist, two vocalists beget a chorus of hermetic croaks, sometimes wet, sometimes dry. When exposed to shimmering layers of reverberous effects, these will burst into arcs of flame, which can be expected to take over the entire sonic range of the mix, and last for up to 4 bars. When the interminable soaring Rodan shriek feels like it's ready to give you a break, it will diffuse into streaks of cloud that snake around the peaks and valleys of this particular topography of Middle Earth. This is a heralding voice, but in it's "breaking through" aspect, is also a warning voice.

Underneath, instrumentals weave a braid of ornate medievalist patterning, marked always by the techno programmer's wisdom of the "out" note that warps the larger form through it's repetition. Fanciful and psychedelic lattices of "classical" sounding but loop oriented synth and guitar figures fan out, but somehow retain an orbit around an earth-like planet somewhere down on the surface of which, in a secluded grove, Terry Riley, Gary Gygax and Terrence McKenna all share a puff of Old Toby, and a sentimental tear.

At the center of the planet is a turning staircase called Kôr, whose over going is also a down going. It's own center is the mournful organ - which does have an undeniably churchy aspect, but with every turn expands fractally to deny the absolute closure a church context would demand. The guitar here is more forward than on Nightshade Forests, but still basically a supporting player, and furthermore, is ready to selflessly step back entirely to make way. Like in Tolkien's writing, and unlike in Peter Jackson's films, the greatest space is given to the world builder's fetish for detailing and embellishment. Here, this is often in the form of long isolated synth and drum machine only sections that frankly could have been used as incidental music for Doctor Who in any of the Tom Baker seasons. 

Consider the wandering digressions of Khazad Dum, or the plucky harpsichord type voice that appears late in the intro track Angbands Schmeiden, and that will return to great fondness in Hollow Hills Beneath the Fells, years later. Thankfully, none of this seems to be directly in the service of identitarian folksiness, but given these guys' unshakable attachment to Tolkien, some of that comes along inevitably, which explains the "lost" vibe of basically everything this band puts out.

III: The Bridge of Khazad-dûm - 83%

Inkshooter, August 3rd, 2020
Written based on this version: 1997, CD, Napalm Records

To be completely honest, before I made the decision to review all of Summoning’s albums, I had never sat down with Dol Guldur and really focused on it from beginning to end. It simply didn't stick out to me like some of their other offerings do. This is the mathematical mean of the band’s discography, not remotely the dramatic stylistic shift that Minas Morgul was, but more of a continuation in the direction that album was taking their sound.

Maybe the biggest reason I haven’t given Dol Guldur as much thought as some of their other releases is because it takes a long fucking time to really get going. Shame on me for accusing a song from Summoning of all bands of being Too Long, especially since most of the non-instrumental songs on here are about the same length, but Elfstone really is Too Long. Its keyboard riffs aren’t very compelling and are far too upbeat for the melancholy mood the rest of the album maintains, and it carries on for ten fucking minutes. It’s unfortunate that it gums up the flow of the album’s first half so much, because once Elfstone ends and Khazad-dûm begins, Dol Guldur picks up and never stops.

If any Summoning album could be said to have a single unifying lyrical theme, it’s this one. All of the Tolkien poems the band uses in this release tell not of battles or adventures, but of beautiful things being lost forever: magic slowly fading away, the waning of the Elves from Middle-earth, and ancient cities and peoples that are forever gone from the face of the world. The synth riffs bring to mind songs of victory and glory echoing from the past in long-deserted battlefields and feast halls, where none can hear them anymore. They loop over and over again, slowly adding progressions until they build to a tragic climax.

While Minas Morgul retained several guitar centric songs, keyboards form the core of all but one of the songs on Dol Guldur, from the now-typical short instrumental opening track through the rest of the album’s runtime. Nightshade Forests sort of has a big guitar riff centerpiece, but on the rest of the tracks the guitars echo and back up the keyboards and vocals, rather than the other way around. Just like on the last album, Protector and Silenius made a few unusual choices with the synthesizers, particularly the robotic vocal modulation on Over Old Hills, which detracts from the high fantasy atmosphere of an otherwise excellent song, but on the whole their instincts for the keyboards are on point. As for the drum machine, it's still strictly utilitarian. This is something that will change dramatically for the better in Stronghold, but for now the programmed drums continue to be merely unobtrusive.

If you were to pick a handful of songs to show someone completely new to Summoning what the band is all about, most of the stuff on Dol Guldur would probably be a pretty good choice. This is Summoning Classic, retaining some black metal influence while also boldly displaying the band’s willingness to abandon black metal conventions entirely.

O fading town upon an island hill... - 85%

BlackMetal213, July 1st, 2015

After debuting their true sound with the previous album "Minas Morgul", Summoning returns in 1997 with their third full-length "Dol Guldur". This album is definitely the logical follow-up to "Minas Morgul". It takes the key elements, which were at the time presented in a pleasing yet obviously cheesy manner, and polishes them up nicely. This musically is not a huge step up from "Minas Morgul" but it definitely is an improvement. This is Summoning's journey to perfecting their highly unique epic/atmospheric black metal sound.

The tone of the guitar is fairly similar to what we heard on the previous full-length. They are not razor sharp like the band's debut album "Lugburz", and are played in a very epic, slow style. The band makes use of tremolo picking to create some of the most beautiful, yet repetitive melodies in black metal. Sure, the riffs are not too varied in the album's hour-long runtime. But to be completely honest, black metal has never been the most technical of the extreme metal subgenres anyway, save for a few bands like Enslaved and later albums by Emperor. These guitars also, as with the previous albums and most of the band's releases that follow this one, are played as a secondary instrument to the keyboards. However, on "Dol Guldur", it is far more obvious. The riffs are quite mesmerizing if you can pick them out through the synths. For example, the main riff on "Nightshade Forests". While the keys are indeed soaring and epic, this riff is beautiful as well, although very simple in comparison to the keyboards. I personally never really listened to Summoning for the guitars in all honesty, but they do include some gorgeous riffs.

When I think of Summoning, I think of epic keyboard-focused music that literally sounds like the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings. This is something they started on their previous effort, but on "Dol Guldur", while still not perfect, this sound has improved. The keyboards do not at all sound cheesy this time around, and that definitely helps the magnificent atmosphere this album bleeds. Two instrumental tracks are included on this album, being the intro track "Angbands Schmieden" and the sixth track "Wyrmvater Glaurung". These two tracks are simple in nature and really don't add much to the overall story, but are still two really cool mini-atmospheric pieces. "Kôr" is just barely the album's longest song and possibly contains the greatest synth work of all eight tracks. The synth flute here is really beautiful. The aforementioned "Nightshade Forests" features glorious, heroic synths accompanied by the beautiful guitar riff in the background that I spoke about earlier. This is very theatrical, cinematic music. While it definitely is black metal in terms of vocals and tremolo riffs, Summoning is much more than just a black metal band. They are truly one of the most creative in the genre.

Of course, we hear programmed drums which are on the same level of epicness and atmosphere as the last full-length. They may not sound like real drums whatsoever, but they don't need to. This style of music with real drums would not work. My only complaints about this album are with the vocals, which again, are too quiet on the mix, as well as, ironically, the repetition. The repetition is both a beneficial aspect of this music as well as a slight detractor. These simple yet synthetically complex rhythms do get engraved into the listener's head, but they do seem to sound monotonous at times. This is still a very good album that shows Summoning improving a bit, and on the band's following album "Stronghold", the progression continues.

the dragon looks like it has a rat's head - 76%

RapeTheDead, July 25th, 2013

While in this day and age, putting such an emphasis on uplifting, more ambient-styled keyboards with mid-tempo black metal tremolo as a backdrop is fairly common and perhaps that style is even becoming more saturated with bands than actual black metal is, this album was released in nineteen-ninety-fucking-seven. Add the RPG-soundtrack edge to the sound and the song development almost slower than Burzum's and the fact that the second wave was only really beginning to come to an end and you have to wonder: what the fuck did people think of this back then?

Dol Guldur is the epitome of Summoning's sound. It is perhaps the release where the elements at play characteristic to Summoning have manifested themselves with the most prominence; the motivation to distance themselves from black metal and come into their own was high and the ideas given birth by Minas Morgul are fully explored, and it's the first album I think people getting into Summoning should check out because it's probably the most accurate overarching representation of what they sound like. Right away, when the low, ominous keyboards of "Angbands Schmieden" kick in, with the additional layers slowly giving the music a more defined rhythm, there's already a distinctly different feeling from the preceding albums already setting in. The drums kick in, and they set the tone for the rest of the album; a triumphant marching rhythm that benefits the overall package greatly, giving strength to the harmonies and propelling the song forward constantly. Really, the music necessitates it; without the kind of rhythms present here the music would lose a huge amount of its personality, for sure. It's pretty much impossible to air-drum to this; the multitude of drum hits just wrap themselves around every corner of your ears and just kind of glue you to your chair. Protector is just a "little drummerboy at heart" as Silenius once put it.

This is the first leg of the journey; there's moments of adventure and glory scattered throughout, but the majority of it is a forest of endlessly similar scenes. It's long, repetitive and occasionally taxing on one's patience but it works because of how genuine and carefully composed it is. It's cheese, but it's some of the world's most finest crafted cheese. Most of the album's consistency is driven by the tremolo riffing, but at about 3 minutes in on "Nightshade Forests" we see some of the first embryos of what would become Summoning's amazing, idiosyncratic intricate riff style. It's like a black metal riff, but it has more notes and it's more...fluid than black metal riffs are, especially compared to what they had been showcasing before this point. It's a great riff and although they'd definitely present this sort of thing in a much more fully realized form on subsequent albums but this makes what had up until that point been one of Summoning's more mediocre songs a highlight of the album. Summoning doesn't really write many bad riffs, but as a caveat of the more drawn-out, keyboard-focused song structures the riffs can sometimes wear thin after a while and they're much more sparse than they would be on their later efforts. The synths, on the other hand, are much more elaborate and plentiful in melodies- sometimes many building on top each other simultaneously, giving several layers of harmony intertwined with the drums, giving you something new to come back to every time you listen.

This was the first Summoning album that had only eight songs- the two albums before that each had eleven, and every album after this one had eight (except Stronghold, which had nine); that sort of signals a pattern in their songwriting and focus that would manifest itself for years to come, and another pattern emerges on this album as well: the two dudes from Austria really do have a knack for writing mind-blowing closing tracks, and "Over Old Hills" may indeed be the best moment of the album. The final song is usually a slower "ballad" sort of deal, like the emergence to the destination at the end of the journey at sunrise; slow encapsulating and vast. Their uncompromising theatrical nature and repetition is taken to its (il)logical extreme, and I don't know how but it combines all that with some weird vocoder effect and it fuckin' works, dammit! Summoning are at their best when they're at their cheesiest, and luckily they're not self-conscious enough to not be cheesy all the time. Despite how ultimately essential of a record this is if you have any interest at all in Summoning and how many great moments and tracks it has on it, this is far from their best album. It takes a little while to grow on you, because it really is an exhausting listen, and at the end of the day, they'd end up doing better things as they matured the sound further. This is the first leg of the journey, and much has been explored and accomplished through the treacherous and draining foray; the real adventures and victories are on the horizon. In but a couple of years, the true potential of what could be done with this new approach would be revealed. The only piece left in the puzzle is those golden riffs...

Now For Wrath...Now For Ruin - 96%

VinterNatt1785, March 24th, 2011

After watching the trilogy of The Lord Of The Rings, I decided to pop in my sole Summoning album I own, "Dol Guldur", and give it another listen. How much more I appreciated this album I cannot say in words. I never read any Tolkien books nor was I too interested until recently but I did own "Dol Guldur" and listened to it rarely. This time that I did actually sit and listen, I came away with completely different feelings and a total understanding of the lyrics and music. Even the constant repetition became one with me and I understood, oh yes my precious, I understood.

Silenius and Protector are two musicians I am really unfamiliar with even with owning an Abigor album, I don't know too much about them, but their work is not too shabby. The intro to "Dol Guldur" which is "Angbands Schmieden" has a very sinister undertone amidst the folksy keys with chiming bells sounding as a prelude to a huge battle. The drum machine kicks in with a steady beat and prepares one for the journey about to be presented. As this slowly dies out we are slammed(can't emphasize enough)with a blasting freezing riff containing lightning speed tremolo with sinister laughter over it. The vocals are the key to these tracks where you figure they'd mostly be overshadowed with the synths but they aren't, at all.

The lyrics here are found in The Two Towers with Smeagal: "Cold Be Hand, heart and bone and cold be my sleep under stone...never more shall I rest on a snowy bed, never...til the sun has failed and the moon is dead." This made me smile. The next song is "Elfstone" with glaring trumpets and a repetitious riff as a return or a searching of, you guessed it, the Elfstone. This is one of my favorite tracks as it contains the best line ever spoken before a glorious death in The Two Towers: "Now For Wrath, Now For Ruin...And A Red Nightfall." The repetition is the key and with the riff(s) and synth, you will not fall asleep, I promise.

Next we come to "Khazad Dum" with a very slow and long introduction but once the drum(s) kicks in you will be anxiously awaiting. The opening riff is ablaze with fire as we are transported to Middle Earth after the Men and Elves battled Sauron the first time where Isildur's sword was broken by Sauron's foot and the Ring Of Power was taken. There are many times during this song where it stops to just a synth but again, no nodding out or when the guitars return you will shit yourself. Now, we come to Kor, with it's valiant organ throughout and bloody good repetitive vocals. A very good song, and also the last ten minute track on "Dol Guldur".

"Wyrmvater Glaurung" is an instrumental that sounds like the "Moonlight Sonata" on acid with a totality to it that would suit an industrial album perfectly. The clanging of the bells is very dramatic and besides being the obvious filler, I liked it very much. "Unto a long glory..." starts out on an ominous feel but once the vocals start, we are treated to the familiarity of the above previous formula. "Mourn not over much, mighty was the fallen" are the eight words from the chorus which will stick in your mind from "Unto a long glory...". Again, the riffs are present and fast and accompany the synths well. The drum(s) are slower here but have a perfect steadiness to them.

"Over old hills" is a sort of a reminisce track of someone's lost utopia or childhood. The synth here starts out as piano tinged and the vocals very slow. Then, once again, that faster than light riff to a medium paced song starts and we are thrown into a perfect track to end "Dol Guldur" on. The synths here go back and forth from piano to horns then to strings. "Over old hills" is definitely my favorite track along with "Elfstone" and "Nightshade Forests". If you don't own this album yet, pick it up. If you haven't read Tolkien or seen The Lord Of The Rings films and listen to "Dol Guldur", it might not make much sense, but it won't take away from the joy of this 1996 masterpiece. Enjoy my precious.

Critical Hit! It's super effective! - 90%

caspian, August 5th, 2008

It's pretty hard to explain exactly why this album- or any of the following Summoning releases- is any good. Minas and Lugburz are both fairly fine albums full of interesting black metallish riffing, and while you'd expect a symphonic turn to be for the worst, it seems that adding a heap of extra synths and fruity (loops?) drums was one of the best things Summoning ever did. Indeed, Summoning are a strange band in this respect. Everything about this album- this band- should fail- the repetition makes Sunn O))) blush, the synth quality makes you wish they used Varg's MIDI stuff instead- but it's just so good. It's a fine line these guys tread here, and to be honest I'm amazed that they haven't released a real stinker of an album yet.

Still, while I imagine there will be a time when the sound that these two Austrians have built comes crashing around them, it hasn't happened yet. It almost seems like perhaps Summoning sound good because of, not in spite of their limitations.

And that's particularly evident in this album. Probably more so then any other Summoning album, there's one formula here that's plugged at relentlessly. Incredibly simple drum machine action, heaps of snare and kick- and always somewhere around 90bpm- three or so good quality but simple (and way back in the mix) guitar riffs per song (the songs average 10 minutes each, by the way)- and a heap of bleating, machine like synths establishing some vaguely medieval/ominous/melancholic themes. The synths, for one, offer a lot of comparisons to Zelda, Golden Sun and other J-RPG soundtracks.Not the most promising combination, then.

...So why am I giving it 90%? One reason that comes to mind is that the themes that get repeated a multitude of times are pretty solid- there's Khazad Dum's ominous medieval brass stuff coupled with quite a dramatic, epic riff, the strange, stilted melancholy of Kor which suggests an aftermath of some terrible battle (I imagine the theme of it's actually quite different, but it sounds like that anyway). Over old Hills is probably the strangest tune here; basically sounding fairly similar to the others but with some interesting, pulsing synth action making the whole thing sound a bit odd and otherworldly. It is repetitive, yes, but there are worse things that can be repeated. At least these guys aren't doing ten minute deathcore workouts, and that counts for something.

Still, that doesn't explain the high mark. Any other reasons, then, as to why this is good? Nothing terribly convincing; it seems that my reasons are fairly similar to Mushroom's comments below. I put it on at an extremely loud volume, and when the first proper song comes in my mouth falls open, I relax my muscles almost to the point of shitting my pants, and I then proceed to sit there for an hour or so (or more, as I'll often line up a few Summoning albums in a row). What initially starts as mild irritation at the intro track and the fairly lame introduction to Elfstone (there is no excuse for herald-like trumpets, ever) soon turns into a mind numbing, otherworldly bliss, and by the time the epic strains of Khazad Dum come on you're just totally hooked (and headbanging to the really stirring, massive main riff that tune has).

The best way to sum up this album is "far, far more then the sum of its' parts". There's two ways of looking at it; either Summoning stumbled upon this formula; unwittingly shitting out a diamond- or alternatively, Summoning knew exactly what they were doing. Based on the other albums by these guys, I'd say it's the latter. Yep, Dol Guldur shouldn't be any good- and I guess in some ways it isn't- but it delivers a listening experience that few other albums can compete with. Get it, just be prepared to give it some time.

Time Comes to a Standstill... - 100%

MushroomStamp, April 17th, 2008

On paper, this album is a pile of junk. The amount of repetition borders on the ridiculous, the drum machine sounds cheap, and the album is laden with melodies so shamelessly cheesy that they would make Jean Michel Jarre blush. Echoed croaks and tremolo guitars join to complete a baffling combination of black metal and synthpop – one that even dares to draw the entirety of its lyrical content from the writings of Tolkien. It takes a sick mind to fuse ideas such as this. Pizzicato strings, archaic computer drumming and hobbits? How on (Middle) Earth can anything good come out of that? Plain impossible!

Yet, for all its clumsiness, I keep returning to this album day after day. Perhaps it is precisely that clumsiness that retains my interest: since no grandiose production tricks steal my attention, everything on Dol Guldur is an abstraction of itself. The percussion sound is so far from human that it no longer needs to sound human; same goes for the synthesizer strings, flutes and whatnot. The actual sounds are merely abstract placeholders, and the mind of the listener does the work to hear the music beyond the sound.

Disc goes in, push Play. I chuckle for a few seconds at the synthesizer sound, and then it happens: additional layers of music – which don’t actually exist – start to appear in the sparingly composed songs. The band provides just enough to fuel the flames: a simple beat and some melody hooks, something for the mind to build upon – new rhythms and layers of harmony, different each day. The masterful foundation of everything is that the listener is there with the band to create the music, as opposed to the average metal album that reveals its cards all at once.

The musical framework pounds on slowly throughout the album, the steady drum beats (almost devoid of any cymbals) changing little along the way. “Repetition” of riffs becomes “hypnosis”, and time loses its meaning. The horns of Elfstone merge with the synth-woodwind of Khazad Dúm and further on into the next part of the hypnosis, Kôr. The trance is not interrupted by drastic changes in mood, so the same effect lasts to the very end.

This album completely disarms me of hurry and worry, even to the point that certain annoyances of earthly life cease to exist. Try it in morning traffic; you will find yourself in near-death situations because you forgot to look around yourself. Knowledge of hobbit-journeys is optional – the landscapes illustrated by this work are not restricted to those created by that one British chap.

Beautifully hypnotic - 97%

The_Ippocalypse, June 29th, 2007

What is the measure of a legendary and original (metal) album? Furthermore, how does one go about reviewing a work such as "Dol Guldur", a task more complicated by the amorphous nature of the album? The answers to both questions are revealed through repeated and thoughtful listening of the album in question, for everything about "Dol Guldur", which must stand as Summoning's greatest effort, is simultaneously a testament to both the originality and beauty that is capable of being displayed in modern music as well as the pointlessness of rigidly classifying a composition of such grandeur as strictly belonging to one genre or the other, an act which is bound to disappoint the reviewer in question, as this album is not strictly metal, nor is it strictly ambient or anything else.


I have always had the impression from these Austrian geniuses that their music was always about creating a powerful, lasting impression on the listener. This entails a process that involves being hypnotised by the multiple, non-linear layers of melody present in each lengthy composition (six of the eight tracks on Dol Guldur are near or longer than 10 minutes in length, with none of the verse-chorus-verse structure of "common" music), rather than creating a visceral, knockout first impression (fans of blast-beats and 220 beat-per-minute rhythms need not apply) which by its very nature is dependent on expelling so much energy in its execution such that repeated listening offers little to no rewards, and more despairingly, belie the intellect and effort that went into the composition to begin with. While some artists in the black metal or atmospheric metal genres strive for image over substance, for instant gratification over greater meaning and satisfaction (is it really necessary for me to provide names here?), Protector and Silenius seem to grant their audience a great deal more intellectual credit and instead choose to craft low-tempo, multi-layered, complex compositions that, like a flower in bloom, are constantly revealing more facets of themselves over time.


There is a sense of familiarity throughout the album that one feels, in the sense that from "Angbands Schmeiden" until "Over Old Hills" one is utterly immersed in the sonic landscape that is being presented. While other albums, such as (for instance) "Drawing Down The Moon" from Beherit or "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" from Burzum are equally captivating in their ambiance, there is something else on display in "Dol Guldur" that elevates it to utter majesty. Specifically, in this reviewer's opinion, whereas most death and black metal involve themes of destruction and more generally criticism of existing structures, "Dol Guldur" (and all other Summoning albums, though to varying degrees) exudes a confidence about the success of the ideals professed by the genre. To conclude, by listening to "Gol Duldur" in its totality, not only will you be hypnotised, but you will leave the experience feeling liberated in at least some sense, for the message of this album is that, at some point in time, be it far in the past or at some time in the future, the need for conflict may be negated as the purveyors of ancient, noble ideals will be utterly triumphant.

Trite, Unoriginal, Dol Guldor! - 17%

nflftw, June 28th, 2007

This is probably the most unoriginal album I've ever heard by a metal band in my life. From the cheesy, synthesized intro to the semi-decent riff in Nightshade Forests (the only reason this got 17%). The vocals are sub-par for black metal; they sound like a croaking teenager. The production is terrible, too. Everything bar the guitars and bass is programmed. Everything. In Over Old Hills, there's even vocoded vocals. What the hell? Is this trance or black metal?

That's not enough, it's just not enough. They repeat the same synth patterns/riffs over, and over, and over, and over again. On this particular album, as usual, they have an extremely drawn-out intro composed entirely of samples. I bet they stole them. There is no end to the repetition and unoriginality of this "band" (by band I mean two guys, a guitar/bass/drum machine, and a computer).

Their lyrics aren't untouched by their sheer lack of originality either. Half of the lyrics, I swear to god, are quotes from Lord of the Rings books! I don't mind when Blind Guardian does it (I know they aren't black metal, quite obviously, but they still sing Tolkien) because they're original about it and they don't repeat absolutely everything over and over and over again. Summoning just does it in such a terrible way that I can't help but laugh, and I honestly believe that Dul Guldur is a satirical, comedic album not meant to be taken seriously.

Atmospheric, Epic, Masterpiece - 90%

Serpenthrone777, April 6th, 2007

This album starts with a predictable instrumental medieval-folk-esk piece. Though nothing fantastic in particular, it gives a good entrance to this epic item of an album. The songs that follow have a particularly strong essence to them, conveying the imagery of the landscapes of the Middle-Earth ask originally depicted by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The guitars of the album are simplistic rudimental black metal guitars, with lots of tremolo picking, and a very repetitive feel. However, what truly amazes me is how it works into the intense epic symphonic aspects which seem to not overlap but meld into the harsher guitars. The contrast of the symphonic and guitars, yet how they combine so well together is what always attracted me to Summoning, and will keep me back for more.

Vocally this album has a harsher, if not lower in pitch, aspect but it pretty standard black metal. Once again, what really amazes me is how they manage to capture such beauty using such ferocity. Truly talented artists.

Overall, this album really is an epic album that I suggest for any fan of any sort of black metal. If your intimidated by keyboards, this album may not be for you, but even still I think the most harshest and critical black metal purists could enjoy this album.

Return To Middle Earth!! - 100%

Lunar_Strain, March 21st, 2007

Summoning return with their third (but Second Medieval based) album, and the sounds is so much stronger than on Minas Morgul.

No, the production has not changed (it almost sounds downgraded in a sense), but the music has evolved. Instead of envisioning Middle Earth while listening to Summoning's music, this album TAKES YOU THERE!!

Through the Nightshade Forests, Rivendell, Lórien, the Mountains, Khazad-Dûm -- every spectacular location from the masterpiece trilogy of Tolkien has been musically linked with this album, and every song transports you to a different setting from the realm of Middle Earth.

The music varies a bit from Minas Morgul, with the guitars being pushed back lower into the mix whilst the synth and drums dominate the songs. The vocals are performed almost exactly the same way that they are on MM, though it would seem that both of the Duo would perform Vocals parts together, mix and matching their vocal styles to create one driving force of a track.

This album is powerful and is highly recommended. In fact, it is imperative that you get a hold of this release to FULLY expierence Summoning.

A ride into landscapes of emotion and atmosphere… - 99%

Corimngul, February 9th, 2005

Summoning’s Dol Guldur is perhaps the best album to ever come out of Austria. The music, for once, doesn’t center on being good, ass-kicking, mind-blowing music. Instead feelings, emotions and stories are being projected at us from what seems like a long gone time. Not that the music isn’t that good, I just wanted to point out that Summoning goes deeper, they play with more parts of our heads than just the ears. The eloquent, solemn and sombre keys and the repeated tremolo chords on the guitar build the musical foundation.

Sometimes other elements, such as flutes, are put into the mix but the foundation’s always there. It’s a sort of minimalism I guess, but a very expressive one. Summoning has always been known as a Tolkien metal band, and hey, they’re the best. No other band can portray Khazad Dúm, Kôr or the smithy of Angband as accurately as Summoning does. Dol Guldur was a man stronghold that got repeatedly invaded and used by the darker forces. Sauron abided and recovered there. As when reading the books one is moved far away. Tolkien’s supreme grasp of language speaks straight to the heart. As do Summoning. Ever-present is a longing, a dreary wanting of something else. The atmosphere provides mourning, emptiness. It can very well be the extreme emptiness a soldier experiences after a battle, victorious or not. The kind of emptiness one get after a constant rush of adrenaline, putting one’s compassion aside, keeping every thought of the head, focusing on moving, fending off, repeating it over and over again more as a reflex than deliberate action. It’s the same emptiness that we’ve all experienced. The emptiness is the brain’s response to something that’s just impossible to take in, that it’s incapable of handling – sudden losses for example. And they put it all down in notes…

Yes, Summoning strikes deeper and more profound than anyone else, making a gateway, communicating straight to your senses, your memories – your emotions. If they didn’t, the guitars or the steady drums (made by a drum machine) and the way everything echoes, wouldn’t have been as mesmerizing, as fascinating. The long songs wouldn’t have appeared as short as they do now. One would have spotted the repetitiousness of it all. The hoarse and rapt vocals wouldn’t have seemed as natural as they do. While being great musicians those two Austrians could very well have had more actual skill with their instruments. Real drums would have added several new dimensions to it, just as varied guitars would have done. But I don’t know if it would’ve stayed as genuine if it got complex. The minimalism, with such great yet simplistic arrangements is perhaps the key.

Wyrmwater Glaurung is a real standout with its circularity, ringing bells and the sweeping, sucking keyboards. It’s such a sprawling song. Playful. As the other songs are so heavy and gloomy, it makes a nice break. Dol Guldur is an essential album; everyone should be obligated to have it.

Summoning's crowning achievement - 98%

Sacraphobic, November 15th, 2004

Black metal's fundamental aim and role, as a whole, can be defined as "opposition to the Christian values of today". Whether it invokes the strength of pre-Christian times, reflects on the beauty of nature, or just plain hails Satan, black metal is at war with Christianity. In a Pagan/Nihilistic/non-Christian society, black metal would have no artistic value, it would be fighting a foe that doesn't exist and therefore would be entirely unnecessary, in the same way guns created solely for shooting down planes become unnecessary when every plane has been destroyed.

This doesn't apply to Summoning. They aren't part of the war. They're the proud, glorious ride home on horseback, having already vanquished their deadly enemy, holding high in triumph the heads of those slain. They transcend the war, they are victory. With Christianity gone they lose no value, they are simply representative of the glory and honour of Romanticism. This is why, to many, their designated label over the years has been "post-black metal" (no, not the same as those bands with a shaky BM aesthetic accompanied by over-the-top orchestration and pretentious gimmicks, this is real post-BM); once BM reaches its goal, they are the logical progression. While most albums that invoke the medieval spirit possess a sense of longing, there is none here, because in Summoning's world the medieval is reality, and in that I find more hope for a better future than in any other album I've ever listened to.

Without doubt, this is one of the most important metal albums ever recorded. While their previous releases had a slight aura of cheesiness about them (they rule, don't get me wrong), as well as a lack of coherence in places, their songwriting talent really comes together here. Not one foot is put wrong, not once do you think "hmm, that could have been better", it is absolutely immersive from start to finish, and reaches a height of totality/wholeness that very few can achieve.

The majestic melodies are slowly developed through repetition into epic, grandiose climaxes, accompanied by the most powerful drumwork on any metal album ever composed, militaristically throbbing thunderously, albeit slow and fairly simple, as well as being a drum machine. Sadness is poignant in places, though there's no immature sentimentality here, simply a great sense of respect and reflection upon those who gave their lives to the cause. Just listen to Khazad Dum - listen to the way the original motif is built on layer-upon-layer, taking the imagination into a bombastic, beautiful journey of emotion and spiritual refreshment. In fact, just listen to any song, they're all sensational (Nightshade Forests and Elfstone are my personal favourites).

If that wasn't enough, this is one of the greatest-produced albums ever as well. Every single instrument appears to be dominating at the same time, yet they aren't fighting with one another, they're working together in harmony. From the booming echoey drums, to the rich, warm guitars. The strong, throaty, proud vocals. The various brilliant uses of keyboards, from the hefty brass sound, shining the sun's warmth down upon the men on horseback, to the sweet woodwind; a flock of birds flying over a healthily flowing stream.

Many of the best metal artists have at least partially had inspiration from those classic books by a certain Mr. Tolkien, which you may or may not know about. The tales explore various ancient Romantic/Nihilistic notions, such as having the will power and honour to increase the value of one's life through one's great achievements (rather than having inherent worth by obeying a set of external morals), great respect for the beauty of the land, etc. Few bands are quite as heavily motivated by those epics as Summoning. Indeed, virtually their entire discography focuses upon nothing but the quests and events of Middle Earth, and the resulting music is no surprise considering the scope and depth that those books covered, and the values held within them.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you again that this album is a masterpiece, but I'm going to anyway. THIS IS MAGNIFICENT. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR YOU NOT TO OWN THIS. BUY IT NOW.