Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross

Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross
Studio album by Christopher Lee
Released	15 March 2010
Genre	Symphonic metal, power metal
Length	62:21
Label	Charlemagne Productions Ltd.
Producer	J. Aneiros, C. Canonici
Christopher Lee chronology
Revelation (2006) Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (2010) Charlemagne: The Omens of Death (2013)

Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross is a symphonic metal concept album by actor and singer Christopher Lee. It was released on 15 March 2010. This is Lee's first full-length album, having previously worked with such bands as Rhapsody of Fire and Manowar. The album won the "Spirit of Metal" award from the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards ceremony. The award was presented to him by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.^[1]

It tells the story of Charlemagne, the First Holy Roman Emperor. The album's promotional MySpace page garnered over 20 million hits from around the world. The album features 2 metal bands, and a number of guest vocalists playing the different roles in the story. Music was composed by Marco Sabiu. A music video for "The Bloody Verdict of Verden" was released in June 2012.^[2]

A heavy metal follow-up album, titled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, was released in 2013.^[3]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Marie-Claire Calvet, all music composed by Marco Sabiu.

1. "Overture" – 2:53
2. Act I:
   1. "Intro" – 1:34
   2. "King of the Franks" – 7:14
3. Act II:
   1. "Intro" – 1:46
   2. "The Iron Crown of Lombardy" – 8:12
4. Act III:
   1. "Intro" – 3:26
   2. "The Bloody Verdict of Verden" – 6:16
5. Act IV:
   1. "Intro" – 2:31
   2. "The Age of Oneness Out of Diversity" – 6:07
6. Act V:
   1. "Intro" – 2:09
   2. Starlight – 4:40
7. "Finale" – 3:57
8. "Iberia" – 5:10
9. "The Bloody Verdict of Verden" (Instrumental) – 6:20

Personnel

Christopher Lee receiving the "Spirit of Metal" award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards ceremony.

Vocals

• Christopher Lee – Charlemagne (Ghost)
• Vincent Ricciardi – Charlemagne (Young)
• Lydia Salnikova – Hildegard
• Christina Lee – narration
• Phil SP – Pepin the Short
• Mauro Conti – Pope Hadrian
• Christi Ebenhoch – storytelling singer
• Dave "Grav" Cavill – additional vocals
• John Wistow – backing vocals
• European Cinematic Symphony Choir – choir

Musicians

• Tony Newton – bass
• Corrado Canonici – double bass
• Ollie Usiskin – drums
• Chris Jones – electric guitar
• Matt Pearce – electric guitar
• Raffaello Gentili – electric guitar
• Leigh Alexandra – keyboards
• European Cinematic Symphony Orchestra – orchestra

Production

• Juan Aneiros – production
• Monica Tong – assistant production
• Juan Ramirez – co-production
• Corrado Canonici – executive production
• Andy Jackson – engineering, mastering
• Marco Sabiu – orchestration, conducting
• Mauro Conti – management vocal consulting

References

1. Gates, Lydsey. "Results in From Metal Hammer's Golden Gods". SoudSphere. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
2. Christopher Lee: "The Bloody Verdict of Verden" Music Video on YouTube, 8 June 2012.
3. Farrell, John (28 May 2012). "Christopher Lee Celebrates 90th Birthday By Recording Heavy Metal". Forbes. Retrieved 11 August 2013.

External links

• Official website