Solstice of Oppression

After the well-known death metal boom, the number of spectacular albums was desperately decreasing, which does not mean that this number dropped to zero. One of the gems that did not catch that wave, but could have easily stirred up the moment earlier, was the debut of the American Oppressor released in 1994, i.e. at a time when death metal was more or less widely known by bands that already had several respected titles in their discographies. You have to admit, these are not good circumstances for a debut, but the quartet from Oppressor was adamant and knew that the right group would appreciate their extreme music. Since taking their first steps, i.e. in 1991, the group has been crystallizing their own style at a dizzying pace, which they sealed on their debut material entitled "Solstice Of Oppression". Look at this case, a lesser-known band and even back in the days of their first album, one could safely say that they were one of a kind - that's probably enough evidence of the class of the Americans.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Oppressor developed their original sound during their debut. Of course, the quartet had some time to test the ground and use reliable sources what exactly the essence of death metal is, although in some matters the Americans went a bit beyond the established standards, blind imitation was away from them and their own feeling could be felt right away. "Solstice Of Oppression" will therefore satisfy both fans of brutal acts like Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, Morbid Angel or early Gorguts, as well as Cynic's technique/progression or even Demilich's strangeness. The range of stylistic means is really quite large, in theory they could not work together at all, and yet in the case of Oppressor and their debut it passed the test very well. The matter is very simple. Behind such an extravagant mix of atmospheres there are (extra)ordinarily excellent ideas for songs, and the Americans do not forget that death metal heaviness plays a key role in their music.

Tim King's vocals crush, bringing to mind the low gurgles of Chris Barnes' type (from the "Tomb Of The Mutilated" era), and even more the great dynamics of these songs and the ease of jumping between quite diverse motifs. The album opener "Seasons" already illustrates the very wide spectrum of the Americans' capabilities and the full naturalness of this type of numerous outbursts. Acoustics with growls, and then full brutality? This is normal here and something so well-executed and thought out that it does not irritate at all. Next, the riffs of Jim Stopper and Adam Zadel are great - full of finesse, inventiveness and various ornaments, but also a racial character. Check out "Genocide", "Eclipse Into Eternity", "Rotted Paradise" or the aforementioned "Seasons" to what extent the level of guitar shredding is qualitative and impressive. Tom Schofield's drumming is also quite good, he blasts brilliantly and knows when to play a bit more simply, i.e. to give the guitars some place to show off. And so, despite the high level of technicality and the large number of changes per track, "Solstice..." is not tiring at all and is not lacking in catchiness.

The disadvantages of the "Solstice Of Oppression" are very modest, so they have a rather minimal impact on the final rating. Spacious guitars without distortion are not the easiest to swallow, but they fit the whole atmosphere, while the piano (mainly in miniatures) is clearly worse - it does not fit the brutal and technical side very well, being somewhere aside. The production has a slightly average feel, which, for such a technical death metal, yes, sounds natural and quite legible, although it lacks a bit of final polish. As a result, the whole album sometimes rumbles, and the guitarists' efforts are covered up by the (too) strongly exposed drum kick.

This does not change the fact that the debut album by Oppressor has incredible potential and clearly showed that after 1993 (the supposed beginning of the end of pioneering death metal albums) it was possible to create something original in the death metla music, without venturing into black metal climates. This something came out so well for the quartet, because they created their own characteristic style, which on the one hand is solidly twisted, brutal and totally unpredictable, and on the other, very catchy, with characteristic guitars and giving full satisfaction from listening. Well, we are talking about an album that should be boldly mentioned right next to the greatest death metal classics.

Originally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

Every once in a while, a guy comes into an obscure album from the olden days that doesn't totally suck. It's rare, but it does happen. This is usually the sort of album that sounds sort of cool for about five minutes before the inevitable realization it's a steaming pile of shit but with something approximating good potential, a hint of promise, or whatever. As metal archeologists we're so very eager to unearth that ever elusive rare gem that isn't just the fruit of wishful thinking and drastic indulgence on our part. This isn't perfect, but it's actually damn good at what it does.

The band 'SOiL' - ring a bell ? If you were caught up in the alt/nu-metal/post-grunge scene of the early 2000's, then you'd know. It turns out this is the instrumentalists from the band, before they made a career choice towards the mainstream - for better or worse. It seems completely impossible, and yet it's a fact. This is them. And you better believe the style of music here is starkly different. We're given technical death metal that can be crushing on the more straightforward power chord sections and genuinely inspiring and novel in the technical composition department. Yes, there's actually thought put into the bouts of complex riffing, achieving a compelling musicality to enjoy.

The problem is probably more with the production. Because the songs are long, stretchy prog-ish tracks, the production being merely average along with a fairly monotonous voice performance can give the album a bit of a flatness despite the guitar-work being consistently of a high caliber. The bassy production sound works well in theory for this style, but less so in application as it gets tiring overtime.

The technical shit is like prog era Death riffs but with actual purpose and far more complex architecture and vision over the fret-board. Some of the stuff here borders on genius: the guitar-work on the first song is remarkable with how it bridges so many different complex elements together, and instead of having it sound like tech-metal try-hard diarrhea it's actually coherent and highly evocative with what it's depicting, thought-provoking even. Definitely give this an ear if you're looking for 90's tech-death with emphasis on the actual riffing.