Summoning Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with Summoning these days?

Silenius:
Not very much. We some new ideas in hand but as i am still busy to
release the new kwo cd on cold spring records i have not done to much
last year, but i swear i will work more this year to get the new cd in
progress. But after all i can not say anything about details and new
sounds or what the new cd lyrically will go to.

2. When can we expect new material?

Silenius:
After all i will concentrate this year on the new summoning cd but there
wont be a new cd until next year.

3. I know the band members in Summoning participated in other projects in
the past, are there any current projects, if so who are they and what
style of music do they play?

Silenius:
I already mentioned know. Musically the new style is not to far away from
the melodies lines of summoning; just with no metal sound within and
instead of vocals we use word samples from different movies. So the
musical style of kwo is still martial industrial. The new concept is about
very religious topics which may surprise all those who still know me from
the time when i was still the singer of abigor. Beside that i did session
vocals on the new amestigon cd which will be released on hau ruck records
these days.


4. Are there any plans for a U.S tour and how would you describe a live
Summoning show?

protector:
no there are no plans at all; simply because we dont play live at all. we
dont give live concerts because of two main reasons. first we like to use
our rare time to create new songs, and not to practice old songs for a
forthcoming gig. beside our full time jobs and our other projects we dont
have so much time to do both. and second because we consider ourselves as
good composers, but not as good performers. we feel comfortable by
presenting our musical world to the listeners on the CD, but not by
presenting ourselves on a stage. being able to make good music does not
always have to be connected with being able to make a good stage acting.

5. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what
direction do you see Summoning going into on future releases?

protector:
we spend much more time with an album now as we did in the past. in the
past i just took a guitar and had a riff, now i really work very intense on
any riff i play, and dont just grab my guitar and play whatever comes into
my mind. same goes for the production, any instrument you hear there is
test on various sound stems, and not done in 2 days like in the old
times.

and seeing it from the composition aspect; the new songs are far more
multi layered and more filled with details. any note now is perfectly
chosen and not a spontaneous act as before. i dont consider this more
controlled, more intellectual way of making music is better or worse than
the older way. i understand people who like it more spontaneous, but
definitely the way summoning developed is the way we wanted it to develop
because it makes no sense to copy ourselves or even to try to pretend to be
the same inexperienced person we have been at the beginning.


6. How has the reception been to the newer material so far from the metal
community?

Silenius:
After all the latest CD oath bound was very accepted again by the metal
community. Especially fro those who liked our releases until Dol
Guldur. Of course we realized that stronghold and let mortal ... was not
too much accepted by the "true" black metal fans of the old days. But in
those times we got a lot of new fans who normally liked bands like "blind
guardian" or just soundtrack music for computer games; so the sales always
have been constant. But with the last output "oathbound" i realize that
there was a kind of propitiation to those fans who live fort he old days.

7. You have been on Napalm Records for a long time, are you satisfied with
their promotion?

Silenius:
Yes of course we are still very satisfied with napalm. Max and the rest of
the old crew are very good friends of mine and although i am not a big fan
of most of the other bands on the label, i always appreciate their
loyalty to us.

8. What are some band or music styles that inspired you to become a musician?

Silenius:
Definitely the black metal bands from the first and second wave. And also
it sounds totally boring, i have to mention bathory, like thousand of
other bands already did. Of course in the 80ties there where also a lot of
other bands that inspired me a lot, like candlemass, sacrilege or cirith
ungol. But the initial to form an own band for sure was bathory together
with burzum and darkthrone.

9. What are some bands or musical styles that you are listening to nowadays?

Silenius:
Since many years by now i dont listen to metal music any more but was
searching for more extreme and dark music styles and found it in styles
like dark ambient, death industrial and so on. In this point i dont want
to mention bands or projects but check out following labels like "tesco
organisation", "cold spring records" or "loki foundation" just to
mention the most important ones.

10. How important is Tolkien to the music and are there any other
authors
that inspire the music?

Silenius:
After having read everything from and about tolkien over the last 20
years. And as there is nothing really new to explore about tolkiens world
and himself as a person. Tolkien is of course nothing which i explore to
the bone nowadays. But nevertheless we decided to make summoning as a
band totally deepened on tolkiens world over 15 years, middle earth will
always have the ultimate place in the musical world of summoning.

11. What is your opinion of the modern metal scene?

Silenius:
Although i dont listen to new metal bands, no matter what direction, since
many years by now, i still buy a lot of metal magazines constantly to keep
up to date, but i have no special feelings about this ort hat. I just
watch the scene a little bit as an outsider, but still with
interest.

12. Any final words or thoughts?

Silenius:
thanks for the interview.

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