Solothus - Summoned from the Void (2013)

At the risk of juggling semantics, one of the factors I found most compelling about Solothus' 2011 demo Ritual of the Horned Skull is just how much the 'doom' half of the doom/death equation plays into their actual construction of riffs. Pure, sorrow-stoking and gut-churning Sabbath-ian riffcraft above which the 'death' manifests as a guttural narrator with a deadpan dictation that feels like someone digging up your corpse and then repeatedly kicking your tombstone over onto your unwary remains. It wasn't just boring, slowed down death metal chord progressions with ominous, cavernous growls, but actually groovy and depressing in the tradition of bands like Candlemass or (earlier) Cathedral, albeit with the difference in vocals. Thankfully, the Finns have kept this formula intact for Summoned from the Void, their full-length debut coming out through the Spanish label Memento Mori.

Certainly this is crushing enough to tide me over until the next Hooded Menace record, but where Lasse Pyykkö's project is imbued with more of a camp classic horror kitsch to it, and employes more distinctly melodic riffing techniques, Solothus are brooding and bleak. At their perkiest, they'll erupt into a total old school death metal tremolo picked progression amidst the roiling low-tuned chugs and grooves, but holy fuck do they keep this shit HEAVY. There are subtleties among the generally lengthy cuts, especially the second guitar which often hovers at the edge of perception with cleaner picked notes or harmonies, but somehow they manage not to put me to sleep even with the straightforward palm muted pressure applied through a piece like "Plaguewing". Simple, atmospheric leads just explode over the facade of the chords ("Magus of Doom" has a measured ripper in there), and the listener is never allowed to escape the oppressive murk of the mix, or the steady, dirge-like drums interspersed with toms and monolithic tribal fills.

Bass is definitely 'felt' on the album, but it's not creating a lot of harmony or interesting depth below the rhythm guitars, something that might actually spice up the writing more with some fills. That said, when the layered growls nail you with that stereo effect, like simultaneous emanations from several alcoves in a sepulcher long abandoned by the living, and the guitars are drudging below, all the sunshine disappears instantly and you feel like you've got a gaping stomach wound and have to drag yourself around in agony. So, in other words, Summoned from the Void works as intended, and this is a positive step for the Finns with a truly negative, tunneling atmosphere that death/doom purists will truly appreciate. It's not amazing, perhaps, but with it grabs you immediately with the harrowing organ intro "Frostbane Overture" and then never lets you escape into the daylight again.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]

http://solothus.com/

Solothus - Ritual of the Horned Skull [DEMO] (2011)

Solothus are one of those rare bands that manage to capture the very essence of why I loved the Swedish Runemagick. They write in a slurry of death/doom motifs, only they never quite abandon the rock & roll underpinnings that have flourished through Sabbath to Trouble, Pentagram, Cathedral and beyond. Yet where they depart from the Runemagick formula is that they don't sound even remotely Swedish: you won't hear that huge, old school death metal tone in the guitars circa the early 90s. Oh, Solothus sounds huge, but within their own bludgeoning, primal means, and though Ritual of the Horned Skull is a modest accumulation of three cuts in about 15 minutes, it's a solid manifestation of potential that will satisfy doom metal fans that are tired of 'doom' bands that don't feel even remotely sad, sobering, or...well, doomed.

That thick, oozing bass in the intro to "Throne of Bones" nearly ruptured my kidney, it is so corpulent and loud, but the atmospheric, slower riffing saves the day soon enough, before they lurch forward into a Cathedral-speed, dense rock riff that continues to escalate under the gruff, level guttural style vocals. With "Embrace the Cold", the bass returns, sluggishly woven beneath a simple, clean guitar tone that immediately feels ominous. Granted, the guitar verse in the riff might have been better if it didn't just follow the bass line, but the chugging of the bridge does enough to compensate, and the final track "Darkness Gathers Here at Night" is a better stab at the slower-paced stuff. Here, the vocals and guitar harmony open up this spacious, ominous realm of fear, and then the band ramps up the intensity with what might be the best riff on the demo at about 1:00 in, a surgical weaving and winding doom that lifts straight into the solo. There's also a great, warlike bridge laden in another decent, bluesy lead.

All told, Solothus reminds me that you can do simple without sounding entirely hackneyed and derived, and Ritual of the Horned Skull will be a steal for fans into bands like Runemagick, Asphyx or the more recent Hooded Menace. I liked the first and last tracks more than the middle one, and there are certainly grounds for improvement: perhaps some more dynamics in the vocals would be nice, and a bit more crunch to the guitars since they're dealing so often with the gargantuan bass. But for a demo, this is an adequate introduction from a quartet who inject
enough life into their death, and enough class into their doom to one day matter. Almost like a Candlemass/Cathedral hybrid with straight up growling. Looking forward to hearing more.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

https://www.facebook.com/Solothus