Stronghold

You must admit that Summoning¡¯s music is not so complex, but there is something makes all their albums to have a unique taste. For this one, the ¡°stronghold¡± of 1999, which represents their style best, can give us a view into the inner world they created.

In my part, nearly all of the songs in this album can be divided into two part, the wall of singer¡¯s voice, and the epic melody, which in most time just hides behind the vocal, or maybe floats over it. I have never heard a black metal album in which the singing can take such a big proportion to help constitute the symphonic feelings. Protector¡¯s black voice give their music a particular taste of grandness and heaviness, and with the aid of the excellent epic melody, no doubt the album exactly exhibit what¡¯s on the cover of this album: red planet and a tall castle.

The most typical one is the fourth song. And the other one that must be mentioned is the fifth of this album, which is the only one that employs the female vocal and brings some different sense.

Thought I appreciate their music very much, I must admit that with merely the wall of sound and some simple melody, their music seems a little monotone. However, after all, it is a prominent symphonic black metal.