9. Caladan Brood
Current Release: Echoes of Battle Label: Northern Silence Productions. For years, Austria's Summoning have been one of the very few bands that were never mimicked, cloned or copied. Their brittle brand of symphonic, mid paced epic black metal based on Lord of the Rings author and High fantasy creator JRR Tolkien, was the monopoly on the style, resulting in a handful of lauded, even classic albums. But the band went dark for 7 years until this year's Old Morning's Dawn drops. However, a duo from Utah recently released their debut, Echoes of Battle, and when Old Morning's Dawn buckles and disappoint under the weight of its own expectations (which is does- I've heard it), Caladan Brood is there to deliver a more than ample stand in. Summoning comparisons will be abound, and rightly so. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qApRHrMdang They play the same style of tinny, mid paced paced black metal laden with synth rendered horns and orchestration and the band's lyrics are based on another respected fantasy author, Steve Erickson and his Malazan Book of the Fallen series. But with enough nuances such as some simply glorious clean choirs and injections of more urgent black metal pacing and a slightly fuller production, Caladan Brood does just enough to be their own band while delivering a heavy handed homage and the result is often just as stirring and majestic as their peers. Take a listen to the down right rousing opening choral arrangement of "Book of the Fallen" or the truly regal horn segue in albums standout The Walk the Ashes of Dead Empires and you will find yourself transported into that gorgeously rendered album cover.