By:
George Parr
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 18/03/2016
Label: Doomentia Records
Date Released: 18/03/2016
Label: Doomentia Records
An encompassing album with an unforgiving heaviness, "No King Reigns
Eternal" sees Finns Solothus’ improve on their debut album, and release one of
the heaviest doom releases so far this year. Instilled with death metal
elements and no signs of calm, it is a harrowing album full of weighty
monolithic riffs and a murky atmosphere.
“No King Reigns Eternal” CD//DD tracklisting:
1.
The Betrayer
2.
No King Reigns Eternal
3.
Darkest Stars Aligned
4.
Malignant Caress
5.
Towers in the Mist
6.
The Winds of Desolation
The Review
Building
on the oozing potential of 2013’s “Summoned
from the Void”, Finland’s Solothus have
capitalised on all the potential that their debut full-length promised,
providing grotesquely heavy death-infused doom metal that stays committed to
tearing off heads. Rather than blending
slow-burning quieter moments with the more destructive sections, as bands like
Haast’s Eagled have done this year, second album “No King Reigns Eternal” sees Solothus crushing
skulls in a more efficient manner than on the debut, with a dense atmosphere of
darkness en-wrapping a wholly consuming style cantered around pure aggression.
The
album’s first riff roars out of the gloomy darkness, with rumbling bass and
pin-point percussion adding to the growling guitar’s raw power. As with any
devastatingly heavy doom outfit, the riffs are centre of attention, and opener
‘The Betrayer’ sets the bar high.
Thankfully, Solothus are more than up to the task, with
guitarists Veli-Matti Karjalainen and Sami Iivonen proving themselves hugely
capable writers of shit-hot, face-shredding riffs throughout the album’s 43
minutes.
These
riffs ensure that “No King Reigns
Eternal” is nothing less than intensely gratifying heaviness, that merges
the gory brutality of Entombed with the
slowed pace of Sleep. No one will claim that Solothus’ gruesome doom hasn’t been heard before, but every
grisly riff and guttural hate-filled bellow is drenched in a thick coat of
morbid agony, with the word subtlety never once crossing Solothus’
minds. The balls-to-the-wall intensity of ‘Darkest
Stars Aligned’ is unparalleled in its ability to create images of
apocalyptic destruction, whilst the impressive lead guitars and occasional
solos offer slight deviation from chugging guitars, helping to create a cold
and sorrowful atmosphere that blankets Solothus’ many
gut-punching riffs.
“No King
Reigns Eternal”
may be able to pride itself on its uncompromising, death metal-influenced take
on doom, but despite the gory nature of their unyielding music, Solothus also manage to make room for an eerie, macabre
atmosphere that sets it apart from its many rivals and allows them to refuse to
let up without becoming too overpowering. Forceful but with a focused attitude
that allows Solothus’ assault to be more captivating
than it was on their debut release, it is a consistent album that deserves
recognition for managing to not be derivative, and instead carving out its own
bloodstained path.
“No Kings
Reign Eternal”
is available here:
