|
Solace Of Requiem - Solace Of Requiem
Reviewed by AJ Blisten in 2/8/2005
“Welcome to a new concept in death metal…” is the American death metal band SOLACE OF REQUIEM’s initial announcement on their website. And what is it about their music that makes them think that they are a new concept in death metal? It’s definitely not the fact that the band hails from Virginia Beach in the US. Claim to have brought some kind of a new concept on the table must mean that there have to be something obvious and definite in the songs. So, is there anything special to talk about in this band’s death hymns? Well, nothing groundbreaking, but there are at least this little extra something that adds texture and dynamics to the majority of the songs on the band’s self titled album.
And that is the way the bass parts are brought out to the front here and there. The dry and distinct and playful bass tone has an important role in band’s semi-technical songs and lightly progressive expression. I may be wrong, but to me it sounds unmistakably like a fretless bass and in a couple of songs it gives enough creative space to fill the songs with a nice jazzy feeling. Now, that can to a certain extent justify the statement “a new concept in death metal”, even though I doubt that this Virginia deathly quartet is the only death metal band in the scene coming up with such concept…
Anyway, I didn’t like this album at first, but after a while it definitely grows on you. What I didn’t like after the first few spins was the sound in general. I thought it was too thin and weak and I also thought that the vocals was a little to distant back in the mix. But now, after having listened to it patently quite a few times I’m beginning to like it a lot better.
The playing on here is flawless and most of the 10 songs run fast with not too many tempo changes in an open soundscape that give room for the characteristic bass tone and other less “innovative”, but nevertheless nice details in the songs. All in all, SOLACE OF REQUIEM has delivered a decent death metal album and a musical concept worth exploring even more.
I’m sure that we will here more from these guys.
|
|
