Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross explained

Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross
Type:	studio
Artist:	Christopher Lee
Cover:	Christopher Lee charlemagne.jpg
Genre:	Symphonic metal, orchestral, spoken word
Label:	Charlemagne Productions Ltd.
Producer:	J. Aneiros, C. Canonici
Prev Title:	Revelation
Prev Year:	2006
Next Year:	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 was Lee's first full-length album in the genre, having previously worked with such bands as Rhapsody of Fire and Manowar.

It tells the story of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, to whom Lee can trace his ancestry. The album's promotional MySpace page garnered over 20 million hits from around the world. The album features two 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.^[1]

A heavy metal follow-up album, titled , was released in 2013.

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

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

Notes and References

1. , 8 June 2012.