Before forming Summoning, Protector was a drummer in a thrash/death metal band Marlignom[3] and had embarked on a four-year study of drums in music school.
At the age of 16, Silenius was in a doom metal band Shadow Vale and studied piano for a few years in music school.
Summoning recorded two demos (Upon the Viking's Stallion and Anno Mortiri Domini), as well as a split with the Austrian band Pazuzu (The Urilia Text) and a five-track promo tape for Lugburz.
This was the band's first release set in an epic and atmospheric style utilizing guitar purely as a background instrument and synth almost as a lead, using re-recorded early songs.
This release was a combination between the old and new style of Summoning, with the keyboard lines being more epic and polyphonic while the guitars bore a similarity with the more complex and rock-esque guitar-style featured on Stronghold.
The lyrical concept again was totally based on Tolkien's Middle-earth, but for the first time it was combined with some inspiration from Michael Moorcock's fantasy writings.
The five year long break between the releases of Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame and Oath Bound was due to struggles in the band members' personal lives, along with lack of ideas.
In an interview for IsolationGrind, he is quoted saying: "a heart-infarct knocked me out for another half a year, but somehow all this brought me to a point where I got hungry again and since then I concentrated again on making riffs.
[9][10] On 12 August 2017, Summoning posted an update on their official Facebook page noting that despite troubles, setbacks and disputes, the band's new album will be released in January 2018 by Napalm Records.
[14] On their following album Minas Morgul the band's sound changed significantly, and has been characterised as "a departure from straight black metal in favor of bold atmospheric experimentation which retains a definite blackened feel.
It was frequently described as "epic", "hypnotic", and "atmospheric", and makes extensive use of keyboards, choir vocals, clean singing, synthesized instruments, and programmed drums.
[17] Their sound has been described as "a particularly widescreen version of progressive black metal, a style that more recently has been infused with an almost medieval strain of twiddly folk music of the lutes 'n' flutes variety.
[20] Protector (Richard Lederer) is engaged in other projects Silenius (Michael Gregor) is the creator and sole member of Kreuzweg Ost.
Silenius is also an active member in Amestigon, a pagan black metal band, as well as Shadow Vale, and Mirkwood, both of which are darkwave ambient projects.