Customer Reviews

13

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Solace '13'

Made up of former members of Godspeed and their friends from various New Jersey outfits, Solace is one of the new crop of bands that are doing their best to break new ground in heavy music and move away from the stoner rock sound that had been so prevalent in the past few years. On 13, these guys tear into it with some really groovy and psychedelic tracks that pack a real punch.

The opening track "Loving Sickness/Burning Fuel" is as good a blueprint for the band's sound as any of the other 11 songs. The sludgy guitar sound and aggressive playing style of Tommy Southard drive the songs. Bassist Rob Hultz and drummer John Proveaux get right into the pocket, ala Butler and Ward, to lay down a heavy groove. Lead Singer Jason comes howling out of the darkness, with a crisp clean voice that is haunting and soulful (not just another growler like too many vocalists these days.) It is full-bore power rock, with a very doom metal bent, that is both vibrant and potent. Many critics have been comparing them to Sabotage-era Sabbath, but that seems a bit limited. While they pick up some of the groove from that album, the overall tone harkens more to the gloom of Alice In Chains' Dirt or some of Goatsnake's better tracks.

There's a great mix of songs here, with styles ranging from the laid-back "Common Cause" to the explosive "In the Oven" to the ultra-mellow "Try." The production by Eric Rachel and Southard is superb, capturing the thickness of the guitars and the punch of the drums. Every time Southard slams down the wah pedal on a riff, during "Once Around The Sun," "Sled Heavy," or "King Alcohol," it tears through your skull. Doom/Stoner legend Scott "Wino" Weinrich also makes a guest appearance, playing lead guitar on "Indolence" and singing lead on "Common Cause." They even give a nod to doom-metal pioneers Pentagram with a cover of "Forever My Queen," while also paying tribute to Agnostic Front with a cover of "With Time."

Overall, it's an explosive album that breaks any genre labels you can slap on it. Best of all, it gets better with each listen. - Ken Wohlrob, from Bully Magazine online

Apparently determined to remain dedicated to the musical notions established on "Further," Solace nevertheless pushes the envelope toward crisper production values and a slightly more radio-friendly sound on "13." While Wino is not one of my personal favorites (blasphemy, I know), the collaborative piece "Common Cause" is telling if for no other reason than that the band wants to play to a slightly expanded community. This doesn't mean that they've lightened up - the attack of unnaturally heavy metal continues, and it's certainly no drop in quality from their first album.

The album is not quite what it could be, though, as it seems that in trying to remain faithful to a sound, Solace has not explored much new territory. The sound is only marginally different, and while there are some memorable moments ("Rice Burner" is my personal favorite), there's really nothing new here to think about. That's not entirely a bad thing - "Further" was a fantastic album. We can, however, consider this sonic territory sufficiently covered - let's see where this very good, potentially great, band goes from here.