>>128315083
One of the saddest things about Summoning - Stronghold is that you can never go back to a time when it was still kinda good album. First time when you start to notice the shortcomings and problems with the album you can not unhear them anymore and with every spin it only gets worse and worse to a point that even listening it few times a year makes it sound like Low-Mid tier record instead of simple Mid+ that it once was. Eventually the record loses all the charm and you start to hate it
It really is one of those albums that aged like milk and does not stand critical listening. The very definition of Mid, but Low+Mid- when you listen closely and pay attention. And the worst part is that you can never "undo" the damage done to the album's quality as you cannot unlearn critical listening, except maybe with dementia and hearing damage.
Summoning's - Stronghold, as quoted by Silenius and Protector, the creators of that album, note that:
>The most commercial album of SUMMONING seeing it from the sound and songwriting. I think it’s simpler and less polyphonic than the others. It has a rather clear sound. A lot of the older black metal fans did not like this album at all, but on the other side we got a whole new younger generation which started to explore SUMMONING with this album. We also started to use palm mute riff in contrary to all albums before.
Even the creators of the album admit that it's less complex, less polyphonic, the least black metallish, cleaner sounding and the most commercial album of Summoning. No wonder many people who praise Caladan Brood also are of the same taste and audience who consider Stronghold Summoning's "Peak Album", while objectively Stronghold is perhaps their worst offering.
