Apostle of Solitude -
Last SunriseReviewed by Andy "Dinger" Beresky (www.StonerRock.com)
Profound Lore/Eyes Like Snow
To say that Apostle of Solitude turned some heads with their debut,
Sincerest Misery, would be the understatement of the millennium. That album received unanimously overwhelmingly positive reviews, and won the band a following not only from the "true doom" contingent, but from a wide spectrum of metal fans who recognized genius when they heard it, regardless of genre. But while we're on the subject of genre,
Sincerest Misery has in two short years become considered a staple of what has come to be known as doom.
With this in mind, it's with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation that I approach the review of
Last Sunrise, the Indianapolis four-piece's follow up, especially after seeing the cover art. It's an odd choice, and while my initial reactions honestly weren't particularly positive, I can appreciate that it's not your typical metal album cover, which is fitting, as this isn't your typical metal album. With the context of the album to frame it, the cover starts to make a bit more sense.
My favourite Slayer album is
South of Heaven. One of the things that I liked about that album is that Slayer had just recorded a genre defining album with
Reign In Blood, and rather than trying to out-do it with the follow-up, they changed gears entirely. That's what Apostle of Solitude have done here, and the cover helps prepare you mentally for that realization. One of the things that made the debut such a hard hitting and immediate album were the one two punch of the opening tracks, "The Messenger" and "Confess". Here, the pacing is entirely different, with a more subtle opener in the down-tempo instrumental "Last Sunrise (Requiem)", which leads right into "Acknowledging The Demon", a short track that doesn't waste any time and gets right into the verse after a brief drum pickup. That tune doesn't waste any time, clocking in at only three minutes, and then we're treated to yet another instrumental, "Other Voices", which is punctuated by a distinctively Southern flavoured solo. This then leads directly into the next track, "Letting Go Of The Wheel", which is the first longer track, and starts off with softer psychedelic edge, with a touch of unsettling dissonance to add even more emotional tension, before it kicks into full gear and hits you in the skull with the full force of doom riffs. The flow of these four tracks is great, and drastically different from the pacing of the debut, which also had a great and memorable flow.
Next up we're treated to the track "Hunter Sick Rapture", which invokes the same overtones of pure metal that "The Messenger" did on the debut. A standout track, which leads into the next standout track, the melancholy and beautiful "December Drives Me To Tears", which is laced with lush, haunting melodies that initially bear little resemblance to anything doom. There' a cool piano interlude, which is a nice touch, and show's the band's willingness to try new things and add new elements to their already massive sound. This is where the iconoclastic album art starts to make a bit more sense, when your realize that these are four guys who have brought a lot to table on this one, from both the traditional realms of metal, but their willingness to explore outside of those confines have allowed them to soar to new heights, and this song probably showcases this best. Needless to say, it's one of the album's emotional high points; it's ripe with rampant sorrow without resorting to even a hint of melodrama. This tune ties things up about as heavy as you can, with slow tides of pure doom...
"Sister Cruel" is a slower track that would have fit in well on
Sincerest Misery, and climaxes with a fiery solo. It's solid, but not as stand out as the next song, "Frontiers of Pain", which starts off in the same territory before blazing into almost hardcore punk territories, which is a refreshing and unexpected change of pace. The album's closing track, "Coldest Love", shows terrific understandings and control of both dynamics and variations on a simple but memorable theme, which have been two of this band's strong points from the get go, so it's fitting that it ends the album. The twin guitar gallop that climaxes the tune brings it all home, and then some...
Worth noting that the European version includes six cool cover choices, starting off with a killer cover of The Obsessed's "Streetside", which is remarkably faithful, and ending up with a cool and very noisy rendition of "Procreation of the WIcked" by the mighty Celtic Frost. Two Misfits covers, a Born Against tune, and a heavy as fuck version of Thin Lizzy's "Emerald" round out this bonus treat. Very cool to hear.
To wrap things up, this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2010, and it didn't let me down in the slightest. It's hard to say if they topped
Sincerest Misery, because like I said, they didn't try to out-do that album, they came in with a fresh approach and vision, added some new elements, and made an album that stands on its own as undoubtedly one of the finest that will be released in 2010.
URL: http://www.myspace.com/apostleofsolitude
