Search - Solstice :: New Dark Age

This album is probably the best doom album this year.

A. Coulson | 10/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great mix of doom and medievil sounds. This album blew me away!!"

Doom Classic for the New (Dark) Age!

A. Coulson | Columbia SC USA | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Solstice's (not to be confused with the German death band of same name) first album, 'Lamentations', was an excellent doom metal album done in the clean, classy style of Messiah-era CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETURNUS. With NDA, the band forged their own identity, keeping their clean-vocaled doomy roots but infusing a sense of grandeur into the songwriting that gives the songs an air of barbarian glory- almost celtic at times. Combined with the proud-yet-mournful lyrics, the music gives a sense of an outnumbered army preparing to take the field of battle on some long-forgotten moor. Some folk influences are also skillfully woven in without making the music feel hokey in any way. The riffs are HUGE (see openings of 'cimmerian codex' and 'hammer of damnation' for prime examples) and the music chugs along at a solid pace.

The best tracks are loaded on the front half of the disc, with the second having more short instrumental/accoustic parts, which makes it less exciting that the first four numbers. Overall it's a great album with a very unique identity, and how many metal albums can you say that about in recent years? Damn few. There's also a good EP, but sadly lineup instability brought an end to the group before another album could be recorded to follow up this new dark masterpiece"

Fantastic METAL album!!!

T. Hardin | seaside,oregon | 11/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Album?!? My apologies,old habits die hard(ahem...)



Anyway,heres another great example of "nobodys reviewed this yet?!!?".

For points of reference,think Man-O-War by way of Bathory(or vice versa?) coupled with Iron Maiden harmonic aspirations.



Slower to mid tempo METAL.Great pagan lyrics,great music,great everything.Ive seen this band lumped into the Doom scene,and I wanted to point out the aforementioned references,as Candlemass/St.Vitus/Trouble/etc..ths is not.



In any event,this is a KILLER release!An undiscovered classic



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