Summoning, Lustre and other atmospheric metal bands
SUMMONING
LUGBURZ (1995): Summoning's first album is a regular black metal album, and the music is fast. That's important to know, because later on Summoning got to be known for playing slow, atmospheric metal. They even use a real drummer, not a drum computer like on the later albums. The songs are mediocre (albeit with good parts here and there) and the production is not that good. Only buy this if you're a die-hard fan who wishes to complete his collection.
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MINAS MORGUL (1995): Many people consider this to be the first "real" Summoning album, since it's the first where they play slowly and use a drum computer. It's also often called a classic, but I don't like it that much. The song 'Lugburz' is good. The other songs have their moments, but they seem to go on and on forever and I tend to lose interest. What I like most about Summoning is the fact that they play slow, extremely long songs that only contain a handful of ideas and riffs, yet never get tedious. The album doesn't really deliver in this regard. Be that as it may, "Minas Morgul" is still an essential Summoning album and a worthy addition to your collection.
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DOL GULDUR (1997): For me, this is thé number one Summoning album (with 'Oath Bound' coming in second). Almost every second of this album is perfect. Low points are 'Khazad Dùm', which drags a bit, and the instrumental track 'Wyrmvater Glaurung'. It's difficult to describe this music, I recommend you listen to it on Youtube. 'Elfstone' and 'Kôr' are the best tracks on this album, so you may give these ones a try first.
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STRONGHOLD (1999): More guitar-oriented, and with more reverb. Most songs start off very well, but they get tedious after a while. Overall I have mixed feelings about this album, that was once one of my favourites but which hasn't really stood the test of time. Still, I call this a classic album because of the first three songs ('Long lost to where no pathway goes', 'The glory disappears' & 'Like some snow-white marble eyes').
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LET MORTAL HEROES SING YOUR FAME (2001): Considered by many reviewers as the best Summoning album ever. I think every track starts off nicely, but then I lose interest because the endless repetition bores me.
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OATH BOUND (2006): I judge Summoning albums by their ability to make me sit back and relax, put me in a kind of trance and transport me to a dream world using long yet simple and monotonous songs. An ideal Summoning song could go on forever, and leave you with a sudden sense of surprise and loss when it finishes. For me, the 'Dol Guldur' album set the standard. The present album, 'Oath Bound', is only the second one that truly delivers in this regard and hence is my second favourite Summoning album. Many people disagree with me and find 'Let Mortal Heroes...' much better than 'Oath Bound', but of course it's a matter of taste.
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OLD MORNINGS DAWN (2013): Do you know that feeling when every album by a favourite band has a kind of magic about it, even if it is a weaker album, but then suddenly all new releases by this band start to disappoint you and the magic is gone forever? For me, the decline of Summoning has started with 'Old Mornings Dawn'.
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WITH DOOM WE COME (2018): The decline of Summoning continues with this album. All that I wrote above about 'Old Mornings Dawn' can be said about the present album as well. It even sounds exactly the same as its predecessor and some songs are indeed leftovers from the 'Old Mornings Dawn' sessions. Not all is bad and there are occasional high points, for example the entire second track, "Silvertine". That song is the only reason to buy this album. But overall this album is bland, generic and uninspired, and the weird sound annoys me.
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LUSTRE
SERENITY (EP) (2008): Lustre is similar to Summoning in that they write long, slow, repetitive songs that seem to put you in a trance. A Lustre album typically has four songs of about ten minutes long. The keyboard parts on most early Lustre releases are reminiscent of those on Burzum's "Rundgang um die transzendentale Säule...", if you know what I mean. Rather than Summoning's horn sounds, early Lustre used low bell sounds for the melody, with a wall of guitar in the background.
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NIGHT SPIRIT (2009): This was Lustre's first full album. Clocking in at 40 minutes it's quite long for a Lustre full-length release. Whereas most songs by this band are about 10 minutes long, "Night Spirit" consists of 2 twenty-minute tracks. It took me a while to get into the first song (Simply called "Part 1"), but it's excellent and one of my favourite Lustre tracks. The second part is not that bad, but it collapses halfway into a calm but very annoying keyboard track. Later on, the guitar and drums pick up again, but the annoying keyboard remains in the background. Still, the first song (and, arguably, the first half of the second song) are so good that it's worthwile to buy this album.
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OF STRENGTH AND SOLACE (2012): This EP consists of two real songs and two instrumental (keyboard-only) fillers. As usual, the keyboard tracks are not that bad but nothing memorable either. I like the full songs, simply called "Part 1" and "Part 3", because they are so similar to my favourite songs on the previous releases, i.e. similar to "The Light of Eternity" and "Night Spirit Part 1". At the time this EP was released, other reviewers were getting annoyed by every Lustre release sounding the same, but I don't mind. Early Lustre (up till and including the 2015 Phantom EP) is so good that I can listen to it for hours, even though most songs sound similar.
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FEIGUR / LUSTRE Split (2012): This release is very short and only contains one single Lustre song: "The First Beauty". Not to be confused with the song "The First Snow (2018)" by the same band.
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THEY AWOKE TO THE SCENT OF SPRING (2012): This one reminds me of Burzum's "Filosofem" album. The first song on "They Awoke..." is one of my favourite. Very slow and dreamy, but sparse and with hardly any keyboards, who only really kick in at about eight minutes. The second song is similar, but a bit weaker. The third song is a slow, relaxing track with only keyboards and clean guitars, and with drums only appearing after about five minutes. The last track is just the sound of rain with some keyboard notes, and is not that special. Still, this album competes with "Wonder" for my favourite Lustre album.
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WONDER (2013): This is the best and most consistent of Lustre's many releases. It doesn't contain my favourite Lustre songs, but I guess this is my favourite Lustre album because i can listen to the entire cd without getting bored. This album manages to do what only Summoning's "Dol Guldur" album is capable of. It takes me to a deep forest in another world and makes me sit back and relax. It consists of four songs, each about ten minutes long. The first track is the weakest, with the harpsichord sound being a bit annoying, but it's by no means a bad song.
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PHANTOM [EP] (2015): This is an excellent EP, although clocking in at 28 minutes it's hardly shorter than a regular Lustre album. It consists of only two songs, each about 14 minutes long. They remind me more of the "They awoke..." album than of the later "Wonder" album.
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BLOSSOM (2015): This album marks a major change in Lustre's sound. On this album the band still make slow, repetitive music with a handful of short keyboard melodies that seem to be repeated infinitely. The keyboard sound, however, is now dreamier, less sharp, more of a synth flute sound than the usual bell sounds (although bells can still be heard in the background). This is an experimental album that is something of a failure, but the problem is not exactly the new sound.
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STILL INNOCENCE (2017): The "Still Innocence" album does not have the flaws of the "Blossom" album, although it sounds very similar. It only consists of two real songs, that are composed much better than those on the "Blossom" album, with enough variation and with more layers. The remaining three songs are ambient keyboard tracks, the first one - "Let Go Like Leaves of Fall "being the best.
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