Through the Darkest Hour

Fresh off 1992’s awe-inspiring “Beyond the Crimson Horizon”, Solitude Aeturnus churn out yet another massive chunk of the unique and soul-crushing epic power doom that they have perfected so well in a few short years. Backed this time by an absolutely perfect production (probably the best the band has ever achieved) the Texas-based doomsters continue to amaze. Robert Lowe’s vocals are as good as ever with an added pinch of aggression, the riffs and solos by John Perez and Edgar Rivera are superb, Lyle’s bass provides a massively heavy bottom-end, and Wolf, as usual, does a great job on drums. What else is there really to say? Between 1990 and 1994 Solitude Aeturnus recorded perhaps the best three-album span (well, if you’re a fan of power doom they did), effectively grinding most albums released in this same time period into a fine paste to be discarded like so much trash.

As other reviewers have noted, the songs on this album are generally perhaps a wee bit slower than what was seen on SA’s first two albums, though that’s not to say there aren’t any faster parts. All but gone are the galloping double-bass segments that were seen on, for example, the bridges of “White Ship” and “Opaque Divinty” on the debut. That’s okay, though, because you’ll be too mesmerized by the guitar riffs and solos to realize or care. That and Robert Lowe’s golden voice. How this man is not universally hailed as one of the greatest metal singers ever is beyond me. On songs like “Haunting the Obscure” he easily pulls off the stratosphere wails without sounding winy or forced in the least. Just listen as he sings, “haunting the SOLACE…” and feel the chills run down your spine. I could go on and on about Lowe’s performance here, but there’s little point in doing so. Suffice it to say that his work here is godly.

Likewise, Perez has finally mastered the slow and heavy-as-hell yet melodic riffing style that this sort of music demands. Anyone who believes that doom metal equates only to droning, monotonous music obviously has not heard an album such as this. Actually, Jeff (the reviewer below) has it pretty much correct – take the best Sabbath riffs, give them a similarly massive mid-90’s production, and this is sort of what you could rightfully expect to get – long songs that never seem to drag, and a perfect trade-off between bruising heaviness and melody. Sure, it’s a tired cliché to say that the “highlights” here include every song, but seriously, there is nary a weak moment on this disc. Even the ballad, the album-closing “Shattered My Spirit”, is terrific. Of special mention is the song entitled “The 9th Day: Awakening”. On this song the band experimented with some Middle Eastern melodies, going so far as to add a sitar-guitar duel solo in the middle break section. It may sound strange, but it sounds completely natural, a soul-stirring clash of styles that works extremely well.

Fans of epic doom should by now own the entire SA catalog, but if by chance your collection is missing this one – find it now! It’s still cheaply available on eBay (as opposed to “Beyond the Crimson Horizon”) and would make a fine addition to any metalhead’s collection – not just doom fans, mind you, but fans of all sorts of metal in general. Seriously, this thing is a case study in the juxtaposition of crushing and soothing, often managing to be both at the same time. Depressing as hell, but not without stirring melody aplenty, this one gets my absolute highest recommendation.