Dol Guldur (Album)
Occupation
- Richard " Protector" Lederer - vocals, electric guitar, keyboard
- Michael " Silenius " Gregory - vocals, keyboard, bass guitar
Dol Guldur ( Sindarin for, Hill of magic ') is the third studio album by the Austrian experimental extreme metal band Summoning. It was released in 1996 with Napalm Records. The album is, according to the website of Summoning to become the most sold of the band (as of September 2010).
The songs that were written for Dol Guldur, but not released on the album were released in 1997 along with the song Habbanan Beneath the Stars on the mini - CD Nightshade Forests. According to information on its website of Summoning Dol Guldur and Nightshade Forests are closely linked and should therefore be regarded as a CD.
Dol Guldur was established in 2007 along with his previous albums, and Minas Morgul Lugburz from Spanish label Temple of Darkness Records as Picture- LP box and for the first time released on vinyl.
Style and Text
On Dol Guldur Summoning continued their already begun on the previous album Minas Morgul development from the original, continuing towards a influenced by atmospheric, epic elements variety strongly black- metal -influenced style to the foundation of the band. So the guitar riffs are often used only as an accompaniment, but carried the melody from the keyboard. Here, a variety of instruments to a whole symphony orchestra can be simulated on the keyboard, including the Black Metal field untypical like a carillon, or a didgeridoo. As usual with Summoning after separation from drummer Alexander " Trifixion " Trondl, also the drums with the keyboard ( and not, as is often assumed, on the drum machine) was recorded.
The vocals are typical genre Screaming, but is described as " soulful gefauchte [r ] singing ". In addition, there are a few growls and sections with a sonorous, deep, clear vocals.
The texts are based exclusively on the The Lord of The Rings Trilogy JRR Tolkien as with all albums of Summoning Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your front Fame. Partial text passages or poems from Tolkien's novels have been adopted unchanged as lyrics. More lyrics steered Peter "PK" Kubik, the guitarist of the band Abigor, in which Michael Gregory at this time was a singer in because "seeing as composer, not as poets and feel" Summoning and therefore not texts themselves.
James Slone of Satan Stole My Teddy Bear Review- page notice to the texts on Dol Guldur that Summoning in the lyrics of the darkness and the mystery at the heart of The Lord of the Rings summon ( " Summoning invokes [ ... ] the darkness and mystery at the heart of The Lord of the Rings ").
Songs
The intro of Angband forging is named in the Iron Beleriand after the forges of Angband ( sindarin for iron prison '), the fortress of Morgoth. An anvil blows and bellows reminiscent keyboard effects give " so the already very atmospheric failing Introduction again a very special touch ".
In Nightshade Forests form parts of three poems Tolkien from the first part of The Lord of the Rings ( The Leaves Were Long, the Grass What Green [ The grass was green, the leaves were close ] Cold Be Hand and Heart and Bone [ Cold be hand, heart and bones ] and Gil- galad What was Elven - king [ Gil- galad an Elf-lord ] ) the lyrics. Marius Mutz called the piece on metal1.info an " atmosphere Hammer ," Paul of The Metal Observer described it as "excellent".
Elfstone based on excerpts from the poems of All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter ( Not everything that is gold glitters ) ( the first verse ) and Out of Doubt, Out of Dark to the Day's Rising ( From doubt and darkness I came, singing ). For Marius Mutz Elfstone is a good example of how a reef, although it does not change, can be interesting, " because this is so coherent in itself simply means that each time you would hear again rediscover - and feel - can ".
The second verse of All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter and parts of The World Was Young, the Mountains Green ( The world was young, the mountains green), When Evening in the Shire What Grey (as was once home of the evening gray) and Legolas Greenleaf Long Under Tree ( Legolas Greenleaf, you lived so far) are processed in Khazad Dum. Khazad Dum is the name of Moria in Khuzdul, the language of the Dwarves in Tolkien, and means dwarf home '. Marius Mutz praised the " incredibly dense atmosphere " and refers to the piece as " a listening experience of a different kind ." Steve Hoelzel of chroniclesofchaos.com find the song exemplifies the way merge Summoning layer by layer simple melodies into a complex whole piece.
With Cor dubbing Summoning parts of the poem Kortirion Among the Trees ( Kortirion under the trees ), which published Tolkien 1915. Kortirion, Tirion and KOR are the different names of a same city in Tolkien's world. Steve Hoelzel describes the melody line of KOR as " haunting " ( insistently ', also, gripping ' or ' haunting ').
Glaurung, Father of Dragons from the Silmarillion, is the namesake for the instrumental Wyrmvater Glaurung. In this piece come to a Glockenspiel reminiscent keyboard effects used that Steve Hoelzel as "chilling " (, cold spreading ', also, dissuasive ') respectively.
For Unto a Long Glory ... are parts of the poem Over the Country There Lies a Long Shadow ( O'er the land of the shadow is long ) for the lyrics used. One reviewer at The Metal Observer keeps Unto a Long Glory ... for too little counterintuitive to justify its length.
Over Old Hills is based on the play Trapped and Scared, which was released on the first album Strike the Ground of Ice Ages, a tributary Project by Richard "Protector " Lederer. Lyrically the poem ( You & Me and ) the Cottage of Lost Play is processed ( The hut of the Forgotten game) Tolkien from 1915, as well as the Kortirion Among the Trees 1983 by Christopher Tolkien in The Book of Lost Tales, Part I ( The book of Lost Tales Volume I ) has been published. Musically extraordinary is the recurring use of samples that simulates a didgeridoo. On voenger.de noticed the reviewer that " the vocals sometimes even into deeper regions growlartige sound from [ drift ], what comes to the dynamics and diversity of Dol Guldur ' to good ".
Reception and criticism
Dol Guldur was recorded mostly very positive response from the fans. The reviewers of the scene media issued the album mainly high and very high scores. So Steve Hoelzel awards on the website chroniclesofchaos.com 10 out of 10 and praised the development of the individual pieces from simple melodies to complex, multi-layered compositions.
Asmondeus rate this album 8 out of 10 points on metal.de. After Summoning seem to have found their own style, remember only the vocals of Black Metal. The songs bestächen each by its own atmosphere, and it was hard to escape the partly medieval -inspired melodies. Especially the improved compared to Minas Morgul use of the drum machine (actually the keyboard, see above) is highlighted by Asmondeus, this tackere " not nearly as listless as yet to" Minas Morgul " therefore ".
The review referred to anus.com Summoning even as the " Vangelis of modern Black Metal" and praises the excellent and the individual requirements of the band well-adjusted production and mixing of the album. In addition, the reviewer finds words of praise for the songwriting, the result of which he " aesthetic" summarizes the word.
Something critical rated The Metal Observer Dol Guldur. Compared to Minas Morgul, the songs are less catchy and the melodies less captivating. Some of the songs like KOR or Unto a Long Glory ... are too long and get too little varied. Towards the end of the album you would yearn for something more aggressive. Nevertheless, the reviewer assigns 7.5 out of 10 possible points.
Less the length of the songs than the throttled speed sees Marius Mutz of metal1.info as the only blemish on the album. However, this is in no way detrimental to the atmosphere of the album. It's just " this atmosphere that can hardly be put into words anyway ", the Mutz in his review always honorable mention and summarize with the words " majesty and epic hunt down the a rain shower to the back". With 10 points, he assigns the highest score.
Title list
Album Cover
Like the covers of all studio albums to Stronghold the cover of Dol Guldur is a castle or fortress. In this case, this is on a lake with wooded shores and can be seen only dimly in the fog. Nestled this scene is in a green ornament that surrounds the self hexagonal image like a picture frame. On the upper side of the hexagon we find the representation of a dragon.