Review : SOLUTION .45 – “For Aeons Past”

Solution .45 – For Aeons Past
Release Date: 2010May11 (US)
Label: AFM Records
Rating: 4/5

If there was an award for “The Busiest Man in Metal,” I would have to say that, for the last 2 years or so, Christian Älvestam would be the no-brainer recipient. The former frontman of Scar Symmetry has since joined a couple of bands and contributed vocals on a number of albums.  For the most part, the bands that Christian has been in recently have been fairly good.  Miseration is the shining example; the rest of the pack are Scar Symmetry clones. This is the case for Solution .45, who bear striking similarities to Älvestam’s former band.

After my initial listen, I wasn’t impressed. It sounded a lot like Älvestam-era Scar Symmetry and I thought that was a little bit of a half-assed attempt. However, after a second listen I thought to myself “Wait a minute. The first three Scar Symmetry albums are great and this sounds exactly like them… this isn’t half bad.”  I have now heard the album many times and I like it more with each listen. For Aeons Past is closer to the Scar Symmetry sound that so many of us grew to love, much closer than that band’s first post-Älvestam output, Dark Matter Dimensions.

One of the great things about For Aeons Past is the variety of songs on the album. Each has its own strength and style that makes it whole and stand out on an album where weaker songs could definitely get lost in the mix. I attribute this success to the combination of Älvestam’s amazing talent as a vocalist and the writing of the one-and-only Michael Stanne of Dark Tranquility. Stanne has a knack for injecting melodrama into his brand of melodic death metal, and makes it work very well. Stanne’s lyrics and backing vocals give a needed boost that escalates the final product from ‘good’ to ‘great.’  If you are a fan of him,  Scar Symmetry or the work of Christian Älvestam, go ahead and pick this one up.

01. The Close Beyond
02. Gravitational Lensing
03. Through Night-Kingdomed Gates
04. For Aeons Past
05. Lethean Tears
06. Bladed Vaults
07. Wirethrone
08. On Embered Fields Adust
09. Into Shadow
10. Clandestinity Now

Review : DEMON HUNTER – "The World Is A Thorn"

Demon Hunter – The World Is A Thorn
released March 15, 2010 on Solid State Records

I was initially impressed to see that Demon Hunter called on famed artist Dan Seagrave to illustrate the artwork for The World Is A Thorn, and then predictably disappointed as I trudged through the fifth album from Seattle’s most prominent Christian Metal quintet. Notably, this album marks the departure of founding lead guitarist Don Clark and longtime rhythm guitarist Ethan Luck. They are replaced by Patrick Judge and Ryan Helm, respectively.

If there is any one aspect that kills this album, it is certainly the embarrassing autotuned clean vocals, spoiling any momentum gained throughout songs like “Descending Upon Us”. The aimless, abbreviated aggression of “Lifewar” feels more like an afterthought/continuation, rather than a strong standalone. “Collapsing” features the first of three guest vocalists, but even Speed from Soilwork cannot rescue this song from the keyboard effects which are better suited for Attack Attack!. Honestly, I barely held a passing interest until the high-octane thrash of the title track. It contains the album’s best call-and-response between the guitar and vocals, even if Ryan Clark spits over-sensitive lines like ‘Won’t love a world where my God is mocked’ (really?).

As a fan of Christian Alvestam (Miseration, ex-Scar Symmetry), I’m compelled to recommend “Just Breathe” for his contributions alone. If it didn’t sound like paint-by-numbers metalcore otherwise, I could get behind it fully. As is, Alvestam is grossly underutilized in a mediocre song. And speaking of mediocrity, how can I ignore Dave Peters, of the third-rate Pantera cover band, Throwdown? He adds negligible dimension to “Feel As Though You Could” – yet another song whose breakneck pace is devastated by a lackluster chorus and outro vocals that sound like a bad Jonathan Davis impression. If you somehow make it to the concluding ballad, “Blood In The Tears”, you may act as I did: calling upon pagan gods to rain curses upon Demon Hunter. Truly, this group is a thorn in the side of legitimate Metal. The only redeeming factor of this album is that the songs don’t drag on longer than five minutes.

FCC OK
Try 6 (give 1, 3, 8 a shot if you can ignore the lame effects)

01. Descending Upon Us
02. LifeWar
03. Collapsing
04. This Is The Line
05. Driving Nails
06. The World Is A Thorn
07. Tie This Around Your Neck
08. Just Breathe
09. Shallow Water
10. Feel As Though You Could
11. Blood In The Tears

Rating : 2 / 5