Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross

Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross
Studio album by Christopher Lee
Released	March 15, 2010
Genre	Symphonic 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: By the Sword and the Cross is a symphonic metal concept album released in 2010 by actor Christopher Lee. It is Christoper Lee's first full-length album released when Lee was 88 years old. The album won the 'Spirit of Hammer' award from the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden God awards ceremony. The award was presented to him by Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.^[1]

It tells the story of the First Holy Emperor of Rome, King Charlemagne. The album's promotional MySpace page garnered over 20 million hits from around the world.^[2][3][4] The album features 2 metal bands, a 100 piece orchestra and a number of guest vocalists playing the different roles in the story. Music was composed by Marco Sabiu.^[5]

A follow-up album entitled Charlemagne: The Omens of Death will be released in 2011 and a musical based on the album is set to début in 2013.

Track listing

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

References

1. ^ Gates, Lydsey. "Results in From Metal Hammer's Golden Gods". SoudSphere. http://www.soundspheremag.com/news/65-london/1468-results-in-from-metal-hammers-golden-gods. Retrieved 9 June 2011. 
2. ^ "Charlemagne". Charlemagne Productions. http://charlemagneproductions.org/. Retrieved 9 June 2011. 
3. ^ "Series G -Greats". http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/qi/episodes/7/10/. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
4. ^ "HumphrysFamilyTree.com". http://humphrysfamilytree.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011. 
5. ^ "Charlemagne Productions". http://charlemagneproductions.org/. Retrieved 9 June 2011. 

External links

• Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross
• Christopher Lee - Charlemagne musical at Myspace