Entry 826 - Caladan Brood - Echoes of Battle

Style: Epic black metal/dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: The greatest tribute possible to Summoning

Thoughts: They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Well if that is the case then Caladan Brood are utterly smitten by Summoning. 

Echoes of Battle may as well be a Summoning album from their glory days the way that it is written and presented. Six tracks, seventy minutes. Drawn out sequences of guitars battling with keyboards for the melodic lead. Layer upon layer of melody strewn upon the listener in such a way that the music takes on a character far greater than imagined.

Caladan Brood's music is simple in nature. Take a melody on guitar or keyboard and repeat it for about ten minutes. After the melody has been established put layer upon layer upon layer of supporting instruments before finally adding in programmed drums that sound like a dirge march. 

That's it, that is the entire essence of this album. It's deceptively simple and on paper it sounds rather boring. The reality though is that it is incredibly engaging, and the more the depth of the songs begins to reveal itself the more I get dragged into the music. 

Now there is the inevitable comparison to the masters of this style: Summoning. Caladan Brood do not shy away from this comparison at all, in fact they embrace it. On the vinyl version of the album there are not one, but two Summoning cover songs (including one of my favorite ones: Marching Homewards). 

There are some minor differences between the two bands. Caladan Brood tends to have a bit faster songs, even incorporating a blast beat or two. Summoning tends to be a bit more grandiose, if that's even possible. I also tend to prefer Summoning. 

Echoes of Battle is an epic album. Sitting through the whole thing is an invitation to lands untold and stories beyond imagination. It's excellent in it's own right and if this is the only album we get from this project then they certainly went There and Back Again with much comings and goings. 

Written May 20th 2024