This is John again, back with another concept overview!  This is the second album from the melodic death metal band called Summoning the Lich hailing from St. Louis.  Their first album United in Chaos is one of my favorite death metal albums of all time.  This album continues the story from the first album and brings us right into the action with the almighty Lich.  The one thing that I learned after posting my first overview was that in the lyrics books, there are Roman numerals in front of certain tracks.  Those are specifically the Lich speaking and acting, the rest of the tracks are either his disciples and their stories, or different factions in this land.  So we start at number four(IV) because there were three tracks in the previous album dealing with specifically the Lich!

IV: Return to the Soil is a great first track on album!  This song instantly brings us back to the first album with the Lich king and where he left off.  He starts talking about human kind shall surely rise again.  The two times the phrase “Disease, Famine and death” are uttered by the Lich, the double basss drum gets very fast and the guitar mimics this by using a tremolo technique.  So the next thing they do is set off with his unholy army to the Bastell Shores where they are greeted by the Witch Queen. The Lich conveys his message to the Witch and he wants to reunite the humans with their graves when the rise again.  The Lich offers the Witch a place at his side so they can work together after her son’s life taken in the last album on the song “Hymn (of the Witches of the West)”.  She accepts after questioning the price of the power that he offers, but he just wants to keep on growing his power and vows to return her land when they are through.  He does mention that her skills in “spatial magick” would be helpful in their sieges.

Reviled Crystal Wielders is about the Lich and the six main followers that he has.  The army he commands bear his mark on their chest.  Evee, Algaliarect and Elias are named as three of the main followers.  Two demons who travel together and one the last is Ghost.  This track is essentially a warning to all of those who have not heard of, or do not fear the Lich and his fury. 

The Forest Feasts is a prequel to this timeline that we have been listening to.  This is about one of the Druids that “The Bog” created to help guide humanity.  He thinks that this theory is all a lie and he sacrificed himself to give this new land of Taane an order.  

V: My Horrors Unending starts about from the point of view of a village\towns person getting called to defend their town in the kingdom from the Lich.  He explains that their neighbors to the west were defeated but as they went out to engage with the army all of their fears became reality.  The army tried to retreat under this mist that brought forth all of these awful, horrible and unimaginable beings that they had to face.  The few that could escape tried to get away and warn the rest of their people to no success.  The Lich takes control of the people after killing them as he burned down their homes and told them they are all worthless and were foolish to even try and oppose his will.  He got in so easily by putting a “gatestone” in one of the guards and teleporting to the inside.

Bastell Dirge is just an interlude so nothing to cover here as far as story.  This does however have a very foreboding atmosphere, kind of like the calm before the storm.

VI: The Carrion Fleet starts with the Lich calling for humans to succumb to his evil ways.  The Sin are the Lich’s hoard and they fight and kill from the moment that they are created.  They drink from humans like wine.  The Lich is transported with his Crystal Wielders via the Gatestone that was implanted into the body from the solider in “Thy Horrors Unedning.”   The Lich gives a war cry and orders his army to sing and make everyone suffer.  They really convey the singing with the guitar almost droning quality during the chorus of this song.  Then the point of view shifts to the defending army and they know that if the Lich gain control of their fleet that their continent of Arrias will be the next one to fall.  They try with all of their might but can only keep him at bay by sinking the ships.  But his army and dead towns people just make themselves into a ship of flesh with a bit of his Magick.  

Arrias Groans starts with every last person resisting the Lich being killed and silenced.  Then they are resurrected by the Lich and witches to serve them.  Arrias the land can sense that this is a very evil source making it way through the land and “groans” but also calls for more blood to be spilled.  The Lich is thrilled with this and keeps moving, but little does he know, there are forces moving his way to try and truly stop him.  Taanes another conteninent is being pulled toward the Lich.

Will To survive is about Taanes warning its people about the Lich. This song is about the place that was set up by the Druid who sacrificed himself in “The Forest Feasts” after he was sick of war and fighting.  But they are prepared for war and have stood for centuries unmatched in their lands.  This land seems to draw power from sacrifices and have it power the fortress on its journey to the Lich.  Once they got reports of the Lich and his evil ways, they now must join forces with old enemies.  The old enemies being the Believers of The Bog, who don’t believe in science but of a mystical Fog.  They hope to join the forces of sacrifice and science to face their villain.  The Believers of the Bog already foretold of the Lich and have been planning to join forces to crush him.

Potion Seller start with telling us about potions that druids brew that make all bad feelings go away.  All Druids ever wanted was a safe place and some sense of relief so these potions were created.  So one Druid goes far away from every sense of war and tells of science and scorcery as she traveled.  The only true side effect of these potions is that they slowly whittle away at mental clarity.  This becomes to debilitating to the point that the Druid loses sense of morals and reality.  

The Void Gate is one that took a question tot the writer of the story to find out exactly what was going on!  I messaged David Bruno the vocalist of Summoning the Lich and he gave me a synopsis of this song and its story.  He said that this song is again before the timeline of the Lich.  It deals with one of the Druids that were created by The Bog to help guide humanity.  This specific Druid tried to create a portal to find his creator.  The humans built a giant arch that was really meant to sacrifice the humans.  He saw what was in side the arch and sacrificed himself instead to keep the gateway sealed.

Praise to the Bog deals with the fallout of the human alliances from ancient times.  Once the Druids started to go their separate ways and stop guiding humanity humans started fighting within themselves.  One of the alliances that split off now solely worships “The Bog” and sacrifices the children of non-believers.  They even bathe in the blood like witches and seem as vile as them. 

These last few songs really setup the back story of why the Lich was able to conquer as much as he has been able to.  The alliances all split up and were mortal enemies!  Maybe if they reunite they will be able to fight against the Lich and even destroy him.  

This album just really encapsulates my love for death metal.  It is melodic, technical, clean and has elite level vocals.  I even noticed in live clips David ones some singing in some of the choruses but it is so layered it blends in great in the mix on the albums.