▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ 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 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░