Solitude Aeternus - Alone Review artwork

Rating: 9.2

Country: USA

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Scent Of Death
2. Sightless
3. Blessed Be The Dead
4. Waiting For The Light
5. Upon Within
6. Burning
7. Is There
8. Tomorrow’s Dead
9. Essence Of Black
10. Embrace (Bonus Track, only on limited digipak)

Band Website: Solitude Aeternus

Solitude Aeternus - Alone

Rob Lowe- Vocals, keys
John Perez- Lead, rhythm guitar
Steve Moseley- Lead, rhythm guitar
James Martin- Bass
Steve Nichols- Drums

I won't mince words here- I'm still nursing wounds sustained from the devastating disappointment of Adagio. Indeed, Solitude Aeturnus' last platter is quite possibly THE single most frustrating slab of plastic I own, and consequent, concerted spins of the record don't yield any new revelations- once the most consistently satisfying band in doom METAL (with a distinct emphasis on METAL), it was evident that Solitude Aeturnus were running on vapors with that fatigued 1998 offering, and the torturous wait (8 bloody years!), as well as the drab uniformity of Adagio had me somewhat apprehensive about Alone. Yet, I can hardly disguise my overwhelming excitement for this record, bearing in mind the stratospheric heights that this band once reached as the undisputed DEITIES of epic doom metal. I'm very proud, then, to announce that Texas' heaviest have set forth a record that, in every respect, should have been the natural continuation to themes first proposed on the oppressively nihilistic Downfall.

Peers of mine have been continually suggesting parallels between Alone and Through The Darkest Hour, comparisons that I think may be salient in some respects, but largely inappropriate. While it is true that Through The Darkest Hour represented a decisive swing in Solitude Aeturnus' continual evolution, shifting markedly from the overt power metal leanings of the prior two recordings to sculpt a jet-black, fatalistic yet ‘'rocking''/swaggering sound, presenting a flawless synthesis between groove, dirge and scintillating chug, I do feel that Alone feels more akin to Downfall , which further developed the staunchly downtrodden melancholy and peppered it with more liberal amounts of propulsive, pulverizing gunk-a-gunk riffing. It is clear that Solitude Aeturnus have grown more “modern”-sounding with each release, making gradual changes to their sound with each subsequent release, and it appears as though the emphasis with Alone is on ATMOSPHERE above all.

Riffs (though abundant…this IS, after all, an album with John Perez on it) are secondary to textural nuance and feeling, and this is most evident on the soporific ethereality of “Blessed Be The Dead”, a weightless, lush number that submerges the listener in gentle waves of guitar and washes of Rob Lowe's gorgeously atmospheric vocals. Also of note is the progressive edge of Alone, the protracted epics navigating you through some of the most angular, adroit writing Solitude Aeturnus have ever done. Album standout “Is There” is the foremost exemplar of this, and the PUNISHING, yet swinging hook riff is probably the closest thing the album gets to the style of Through The Darkest Hour. Assuming greater prominence, too, is the band's exquisite soloing, tasteful yet breathtakingly accomplished (some seizing sweep-picking on “Is There”)…if there were any doubt before that John is perhaps THE finest doom guitarist this side of Tony Iommi and Rick Wartell, let such reservations be vanquished now. The complacency of Rob's vocal arrangements on Adagio has, thankfully, been abandoned, and this record finds him in inspired form, delivering a haunting, layered performance that very much brings to mind King Diamond's sublimely sophisticated performance on Don't Break The Oath. It is not often that a heavy metal band really explores all the dimensions that are latent within the human voice, and Rob Lowe's bewitching voice has always added immeasurable mystique to an already enchanting band.

To their discredit, some of the songs can outstay their welcome, with one or two of them suffering from Brave New World syndrome (sagging structures compounded by repeated choruses), but the scope and ambition of this album, and the sheer force of the record, whether they're ploughing more succinct territory or plunging into eerie epics (the outstanding bonus track), speaks volumes about just how much this band has grown over the years. Another minor gripe- I do wish the rhythm section (Wolf has, sadly, left, and we welcome another new bassist to the fold) exhibited a bit more invention, though with the band's pronounced emphasis on John, Ed and Rob this is somewhat understandable. One would have thought that a band that ANNOUNCED themselves with a debut as elegant and immaculate as Into The Depths Of Sorrow would have run out of steam years ago, and Adagio did make such dubious implications, but Alone attests to the fact that the Texan pioneers still stand proudly above the innumerable imitators that have spawned in their wake. Somehow, Solitude Aeturnus' brilliance has not dimmed one iota in 2006- the cruelly bleak lyrics, the dichotomy between mesmeric/intoxicatingly intricate gossamer guitars, sharp, acutely punctuated “power metal” riffing and ponderous, monolithic drone, it's all slathered with rich generosity here. A majestic record, masterful and consummate in every way. Surely, there's enough gratuitous indulgence to spoil doom gourmands for another 8 years. Eat up, lads!

December 9th, 2006