▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███
░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓
███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░
███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████
███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███
███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███
███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███
▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███
███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███
██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███
░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███
░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀
██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██
░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░
▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓
░ ██ ██ Artist: Solothus ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Summoned from the Void █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2014-02-05 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Memento Mori ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ "Summoned from the Void" is the title of the debut █
█ album by the underground Finnish Doom / Death █
█ Metal band SOLOTHUS, which is a nice discovery for █
█ a Doom Metaller and a Finnish Metal fan. █
█ The album consist of only 6 tracks, the album █
█ might seem like an EP at first sight. It opens █
█ with a short instrumental intro that seem quite █
█ superfluous to me, but it's not bad after all. █
█ The first impression you might get is how █
█ old-school the music is. Dirge, mournful riffs and █
█ very deep guttural vocals create your typical █
█ gloomy Doom epicenes that of CANDLEMASS for █
█ instance but with a very different vocal approach. █
█ Tracks like "Magnus of Doom" or the epic closing █
█ song "Upon Shattered Lands" stand out from the █
█ rest, while the title track sounded like a "The █
█ 3rd And The Mortal" rip-off to me, being almost █
█ identical to my favorite track of their "Death █
█ Hymn" album. █
█ The album doesn't give the impression it was █
█ released in 2013, with the empowering old-school █
█ vibe, and I'm not sure whether it's a good or a █
█ bad thing. Still, it's definitely an enjoyable █
█ album. █
█ █
█ --- █
█ █
█ 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 Pyykk÷'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. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Frostbane Overture 1:53 ░
░ 2. Hordes of the North 7:27 ░
░ 3. Plaguewing 7:15 ░
░ 4. Magus of Doom 7:53 ░
░ 5. Summoned from the Void 7:33 ░
░ 6. Upon Shattered Lands 11:20 ░
░ 43:21 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░
▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓
▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■
░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░
▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░
█▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓
█▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█
▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒
░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░
▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓
█▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓
░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒
█░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█
███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░
▓██ ░ ██▓
██░ ░██
█▒ ░ ░█
▀█ █▀
▓ ░
░