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Take note: this is a band to watch. █ █ █ █ The first thing you'll hear when you play this album is a █ █ █ █ fantastic bass line with an excellent, crackling tone. I █ █ █ █ honestly don't know why bass gets the shaft so often in █ █ █ █ metal, but that's definitely not happening here. Ominous █ █ █ █ guitar lines enter, and the band shifts to a bangable death █ █ █ █ metal riff before an excellent death growl enters the fray. █ █ █ █ The other two tracks move a little slower and veer a bit █ █ █ █ more toward the doom end of things. They're all simple, but █ █ █ █ each has a memorable riff or two, and enough dynamics (like █ █ █ █ the gradual tempo increase of "Embrace the Cold" or the █ █ █ █ textural differences within each song) to keep things from █ █ █ █ getting stale. All three songs hover around five minutes, █ █ █ █ which for a doom band is a shockingly economical mark. █ █ █ █ Also, check out the rocking solo on closer "Darkness █ █ █ █ Gathers Here at Night". In short, this demo will not bore █ █ █ █ you for even a second. █ █ █ █ Even if this were a proper "official" recording instead of █ █ █ █ a demo, the production would be worthy of praise. The drums █ █ █ █ sound like real drums, the bass is fully audible, and the █ █ █ █ sound levels are consistent throughout. It's loud enough, █ █ █ █ but nothing gets clipped. All in all, it's got a raw, live █ █ █ █ energy that's refreshing. █ █ █ █ The verdict: the only bad thing you can say about this demo █ █ █ █ is that, at 19:19, it leaves you wanting more. But that's █ █ █ █ exactly what a demo should do. I'm looking forward to a █ █ █ █ full-length. █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ 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 17+ 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. █ █ █ █ █ █ █░█ █░█ █ █ 1. A Call to War 4:31 █ █ █ █ 2. Throne of Bones 4:18 █ █ █ █ 3. Embrace the Cold 5:23 █ █ █ █ 4. Darkness Gathers Here at Night 5:07 █ █ █ █ 19:19 █ █ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒ ░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒ ░█▓█▓░ ████▄▄ ▄▄▄████ ░█▓█▓░ ▒▓██▓▓░ ░██████████▄▄ ▄▄██████████▒ ▒▓██▓▓░ ▓█▓██▒▓██▒ ██▓ ▓██████████▓░ ▓██ ▒▄▄▓▒██▓█▓ ▓██▄██▓▄█░██ ░██▓ ▓██ ▄█░█▄▓██▄██▓ ░███ ████▀██░█ ░██░▀███████████▀▓██ █░██▀████ ███░ ▓██ ███ ▀█░█ ██ ░██ █████████ ░██ ██ █░█▀ ███ ██▓ ██░ ▀ █░█▓ ███ ▓█░ ███████ ░██ ███░ ▓█░█ ▀ ░██ ▓█░▄ ███ █▓█░ ░█░███ ▓█ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ░█▓█ ███ ▄░█▓ ░██░▄ ██░██▓█ █ ░█████ ▓█ █████ ░█ ████░ █ █▓██░██ ▄░██░ ▓███░▄ ███░█▄ ██ ░▓█████ █░ ████ ██ █████░ ██ ▄█░███ ▄░███▓ ░ ▀██░▀▀████░▓█▄ █ █░░▓█████ ▀█ ███ █░ █████▓░ █ █ ▄█▓░████▀▀░██▀ ░ ▒ ▀████▓▀███░██▄ ██ ░███ ░░▓█████ ███ ████▓▓░ ███░ ██ ▄██▓███▀▓████▀ ▒ ░ ▓ ███░▓█ ██ ███████ ░░▓▓░ ███ ░▓▓░░ ███████ ██ █▓░███ ▓ ░ ░ ░ ▀████PR█ ████████████████████████████████ █ ████▀ ░ ░ ░ ▓▓ █ ████████████████████████████████ █ ▓▓ ░ ▒ █ █████████ ░▓▓░ ███ ░▓░ █████████ █ ▒ ░ ██ █████░ ░▓████░ ███ ░███▓▓ ░█████ ██ ░ ██ █ ░████░ ▄█ ███ █▄░████▓░ █ ██ ░ █ ████▓ █░ █████ ░█ ▓████░ █ ░ █ ███▓▓░ █▓ █████ █▄ ▓███░ █▄ █▓███░ █▀ ██████▒ ▀█░ ▓███ █ ████▓░ ██ ███████ ██░ ░████ ██▓ ██ █████████ ██ ░██ █▓░ ██ ▄███████████▄░██ ░█ ██░ ░██ ██░ ▓██████████░ ▓██ ███▓██████▀▀ ▀▀██████████▒ ████▀▀▀ ▀▀▀████