SOLITUDE AETURNUS "Downfall" CD

Their history has been pretty much infallible, and Downfall is no exception, consisting of a wide range of some of their fastest material, and some of their most emotional. Downfall is one of the bands most riff centric albums. Sure, they ve always had a lot of interesting riffs on offer, but also tended to have a lot of sections where the guitars were simply heavy backings to Rob Lowe s epic voice. But that rarely happens here, resulting in the songs being less epic, and instead are catchier little numbers. This is the case with most of the album, catchy riffs which, despite being clearly doom, are more melodic doom than epic. This album shows a different side to the band. It s still a fairly extravagant display, with Lowe s fantastic soaring vocals still all over the place, however, there are still a few little oddities he throws in which break apart the smooth sailing nature of the album. Still, with the approach focussing on their more melodic, catchy side Downfall is still a Solitude Aeturnus album, and everything that makes this band still here in droves, just presented slightly differently. Lowe s vocal approach is still as godly as ever, just with less huge wailing and more aggression. The drumwork is exceptional, moving from the standard slow crushing doom rhythms to fast thrash sections flawlessly. And the riffs of course have been discussed in detail, with a more melodic direction, but still quite meaty. For fans of: Candlemass, Sanctuary, Crimson Glory, Black Sabbath, Witchcraft