Official Drakkar Productions release in CD digipack.
French black metal is known for its constant quality and its trademark elements which put the local scene among the worldwide most respected ones. Another proof of this is that new acts keep appearing out of nowhere to drop fantastic music. One of the latest examples I stumbled upon comes in form of two men force Solaris. Not much is known about the two gentlemen behind the project so I cannot tell if they had been in other bands before. If not we are talking about an impressive debut effort as their full length “Montessor” gets right most things that define a fantastic genre release.
The end result comes with a heavy focus on ferocious riffs, interesting although sometimes slightly unorthodox chord progressions and disturbing harmonies, all designed to grab you and don’t let go before the album has finished. The atmosphere created by the lead melodies is dark and haunting. While the overall character is grim and frosty there is no shortage of great and captivating lead harmonies, permanently dwelling in the background as counterpart to the fierce and harsh chords and blast attacks. While very misanthropic as usual for this style, the songs here can offer some really nice melodies at times. The lead guitar sounds are echoing in the hollows, and some of the often stoic main themes are repeated in similar form later again, giving the music a stoic yet expansive character at the same time.
This album is a ferocious yet measured delivery that captures the excellent qualities of black metal. Riffs combine organically with the frantic drumming and pull you into its dark and captivating soundscape, and the horrifying vocals only enforce the bleak nature of the music. This stuff is bold, defiant and captures the nihilistic character of the genre. Each song is competently written, as the album flows and ebbs in captivating manner and sucks the listener right into a black hole. Songs like the roaring, relentless “Maugis” are fast and furious, grand and glorious, but the music is far from blunt brutality, seeming to seethe with rage as it progresses, while permanently carrying memorable harmonies in the background. Solaris do not shy away from implementing some longer more ambient parts as well as acoustic interludes, breaking up the permanent fury.
There are enough punishing blast-beats and howling vocals to be found here to satisfy even the most jaded of blackened souls – but the album’s template strays well beyond the use of pure evilness. With the songwriting being spot on, not too simple but not too cumbersome either, this release is just a feast for fans of pure and true black metal fun. The production is great as well, with a lot of grit and dirt and a very organic and raw overall feeling, but not being too muddy. There are a tons of similar releases coming out each week, but “Montessor” struck a special chord with me. I cannot put my finger on what exactly sets Solaris apart from a lot of other acts, but in case you are looking for a more than solid genre release do not sleep on this album.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=VepWTBUZcRI
