Album
Type: Full-Length
Release
Date: 15/11/2014
Label: Cruz
Del Sur Music
“Of Woe and Wounds” CD/DD/LP track
list:
1). Distance and the
Cold Heart
2). Blackest Of Times
3). Whore's Wings
4). Lamentations of a
Broken Man
5). Die Vicar Die
6). Push Mortal Coil
7). This Mania
8). Siren
9). Luna
10). Distance And The
Cold Heart (Reprise)
Bio:
In life there is death. In
happiness, in hope, and in love there is also tragedy. There is hopelessness,
despair, and grief. There is Apostle of Solitude. True American Doom Metal in
its most raw, unfiltered, sincere form. Apostle of Solitude rose from the ashes
of The Keep in the autumn of 2004, releasing the self-titled demo in autumn of
2005 and the “Embraced by the Black” demo in early 2007, before releasing the
massive Sincerest Misery full length debut on Eyes like Snow Records in October
2008. While Sincerest Misery took the international metal community by storm
and quickly catapulted the band to the forefront of “required listening” bands
in Doom, the band’s sophomore follow-up, Last Sunrise, is set to go even
further down the path that Sincerest Misery began, taking the listener even
deeper into these beautiful cold depths of sorrow and ruin.
For every new dawn there is also a Last Sunrise. That cold day of reckoning when it becomes all too clear that tomorrow may never come. There is a certain clarity in this realization that makes today that much more critical in one’s quest for knowledge and truth.
As evidenced by the band’s live performances, notably at the Born Too Late fest in Baltimore, MD and the Templars of Doom (third crusade) fest in Indianapolis, IN, the live arena is one in which the band thrives, and where the primal intensity and raw emotion of Apostle of Solitude can be witnessed firsthand.
For every new dawn there is also a Last Sunrise. That cold day of reckoning when it becomes all too clear that tomorrow may never come. There is a certain clarity in this realization that makes today that much more critical in one’s quest for knowledge and truth.
As evidenced by the band’s live performances, notably at the Born Too Late fest in Baltimore, MD and the Templars of Doom (third crusade) fest in Indianapolis, IN, the live arena is one in which the band thrives, and where the primal intensity and raw emotion of Apostle of Solitude can be witnessed firsthand.
The Band:
Corey Webb | drums
Dan Davidson | bass
Chuck Brown | guitar/vox
Steve Janiak | guitar
Review:
Our
American answer to the current British and Scandinavian invasion of doom, Apostle
of Solitude's newest puts everyone on notice just how good they are going to
need to be after hearing this one. Beginning with a NOLA-esque southern fried
interlude Apostle of Solitude's newest “Of Woe and Wounds” sets the tone right
off the bat seamlessly transitioning into the second track's awesome doom
opening riff. This is the kind of riff that crowds can’t help but infectiously
headbang in unison, pure unadulterated doom majesty. I also feel it worth
mentioning just how fantastic the vocals are, it's so nice to hear decent
singing and this guy has a really unique and interesting style.
After
hearing “Die Vicar Die” you too will want him to die. A riveting and epic track
with a stirring bridge and fantastic intro, topping it off with some delicious
ecstasy inducing wah solo. Can't help but wish Apostle of Solitude would have let
rip with a longer solo here, however this is one of my few complaints with the
album. Indeed you better have a fire extinguisher handy because this dude rips
on guitar when he does short leads throughout the album. The sixth track “Push
Mortal Coil” pushes the rhythm guitar into chugging riff mode, reminiscent of
Mercyful Fate's first track on their classic “Don't Break The Oath.” The bridge
on “Push Mortal Coil” is pretty damn badass with some unusual open sounding
hanging riffs. This is the most artistically pleasing track on the album for
those of us who like our music snobby (like me).
“This
Mania” might be the most intense track on the album with some furious stomping
riffs over the first two minutes, making you wish you were in a crowd jumping
around. There's just something about chugging triplets that's just damn fun to
listen to. On the 3rd to last track “Siren” once the verse
kicks in, it has a very unusual guitar riff that I can only describe as being
Medieval-inspired or possibly Celtic in origin. Its syncopation reminds me of some
bagpipe tunes, my cousins used to play when they got drunk at weddings.
Tantalizing us with another short but awesome solo near the end, I repeat ‘tear
down this wall Mr. Gorbachev and let this man shred’.
The
answer to the question, why do songs about chicks always end up being the
longest tracks on every album has never been answered. That being said the
second to last track “Luna” is in fact epic and awesome with a slew of funeral
dirge guitars and mournful vocals. Keeping the tempo low and slow this is
perhaps the doomiest track on the record and Apostle of Solitude fully commits
to the riff on this one.
The
overall mix is fantastic, drums are nice and clear across the spectrum and have
a nice loose John Bonham sound. The guitars are clear and huge and the bass is
fuzzy and warm. This is one of the best albums I've been sent to review so far
and should be in many top 10 Year end lists.
For fans of Sabbath inspired early 80s underground metal, they strike me
as the kind of band that draws half hipsters and half motorcycle gangs. Finally,
I bet they rule live. The vinyl edition
will also have two bonus tracks.
Words
by: Chris Tedor
You can pick up a copy here
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