Solstice - Lamentations

What Solstice did in 1994 was simply a masterpiece of classic Doom Metal. They line up with other great Bands of the genre like CANDLEMASS or SOLITUDE AETURNUS (even if nowadays they are much more alike than ever before).

Sound-wise the album is a more into 80's. Darker, less clearer than you would expect from a '94 production. Over all the leads, bass lines and drums resides the lamenting voice of Simon Matravers. Clean, vibrating and mournful it carries the lyrics together with the leads and licks of Rich Walker, not to forget the rhythm section that never lacks power and pressure.

The songs take you to all the places you may see in times you cant carry the weight of the world anymore: Places of indescribable beauty, gardens of stone where a sparrow sings silently his song, only enlightened by a ray of gloomy light. Places of silence, where the sheer beauty makes you cry.

There are 3 instrumental tracks on the CD. 'Lamentations' starts with silent Gregorian like voices to culminate into the first real track: 'Neither time nor Tide'.
'Empty Lies The Oaken Throne' is the second instrumental on the CD. Carried only by acoustic guitars, it has a nice medieval feeling, fragile and lovely. 'Ragnarok' concludes the Album with heavy riffing and doomy lead guitars.

My personal favorite is 'The Man who lost the Sun'. Starting with distorted lyrics:

'I want to feel this way
I worship the night and despise the day
sleep brings escape from turmoil and pain
the accursed sun brings it back again'

After that Simon Matravers voice takes us to far kingdoms to slow down even more for the chorus:

'When the darkness comes
I would not run
I am the man who lost the sun'

There is a reissue of the album from 2007 containing 3 more tracks. (But I like the old cover artwork a lot more)

Tracklist of the original CD:

• Lamentations IV
• Neither Time Nor Tide
• Only The Strong
• Absolution Extremis
• These Forever Bleak Paths
• Empty Lies The Oaken Throne
• Last Wish
• Wintermoon Rapture
• The Man Who Lost The Sun
• Ragnorok

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