While numerous bands (both heavy metal and otherwise) have drawn lyrical and conceptual inspiration from the works of JRR Tolkien over the years, few if any have managed to translate the late author’s work into music in as singular a fashion as Vienna’s legendary Summoning. For two decades, the duo of Silenius and Protector have crafted fantastically immersive, utterly entrancing symphonies of synth-heavy, atmospheric black metal inspired by such timeless works as the The Hobbit, The Simarillion and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Over the course of seven full length albums and two EPs, they have transformed this rich literary mythology into a total musical environment that’s both regally breathtaking and strangely melancholic, carving out a style for themselves which is truly theirs and theirs alone, and in turn inspiring a rabidly devoted fanbase.
After over half a decade of silence, the masters of “Austrian epic black metal” are set to return with their best album yet in the form of Old Mornings Dawn, which will be unleashed on June 5th via Napalm Records. Silenius and Protector were gracious enough to answer my questions via e-mail in advance of the album’s release.
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