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(More customer reviews)If I do say so myself...2010 is turning out to be quite a year for metal. Despite a few regrettable tragedies (Dio, Peter Steele), the actual music being released is some of the most exciting since the boom of the summer of 2008. New albums by Dark Tranquillity, Kalmah, and Nevermore, among others, have shown their quality, with many more, including by the likes of Soilwork, Symphony X, and Iron Maiden on the way. And with all these established bands there have also been a few new arrivals, the most promising of which in my book is the Swedish/Finnish supergroup Solution .45. Best known for their lead vocalist, the much revered former Scar Symmetry front man Christian Alvestam, the release of Solution .45s debut has been the subject of much hype for Scar Symmetry fans as well as the melodeath/prog metal communities in general. My expectations were high, and I'm proud to say they were surpassed. For Aeons Past may be the album of 2010.
S.45 is sometimes criticized for being too reminiscent of Scar Symmetry, an understandable criticism considering the connection between the two bands as well as being the most well known and stylistically similar of Alvestams post SS projects. Like Scar Symmetry, this is definitly the "21st Century" model Scandinavian melodeath in the Soilwork tradition - clean and harsh vox mixed, atmospheric keyboards, a neoclassical bend in the guitar playing and an overall epic song construction - all elements one can indeed find in Scar Symmetry. However, upon closer inspection S.45 do set themselves apart. While Scar Symmetry tended be a bit more straightforward, S.45 ventures more obviously into prog metal territory. Shifting time signatures and general more technical arrangements are present. At the same time, like Scar Symmetry, there is an excellent cohesiveness of song that is highly commendable. Perhaps this is the direction people were expecting from Scar Symmetry to follow up Holographic Universe...nonetheless, the album is excellent. And in addition to Christian, all of the members are at the top of their game. The riffs are rock solid, the solos are mindbogglingly technical and beautifully melodic, and the drums are tight and punishing and the bass...is inaudible most of the time, but it is clear that Alvestam put together a worthy group of musicians, none of which I had been aware of before, but are definitely worthy of backing him up in this venture.
As far as the songs go, every single track on "For Aeons Past" is solid and unique in its own right. Its very difficult to pick a favorite, but the absolute highest achievement of the groups potential is unquestionably the 16 minute epic album closer "Clandestinity Now"...like the Symphony X or Edge of Sanity epics, it is a track that despite its length and branches of arrangement remains consistently cohesive and at no point tempts one with the skip button. Every other song on the album is great in its own way though, no doubt. The only complaint I could possibly give the album is that it does get a bit homogeneous at times, but especially considering this is a debut this is a minor cause for concern. Given Alvestams known resistance to touring I'm not getting my hopes up for an American Solution .45 tour, but they definitely have the potential to be metals "next big thing", and they certainly live up to the hype they've generated in the underground. Any fan of forward thinking and innovative metal should not be without "For Aeons Past".
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For Aeons Past , is Sweden s Solution .45 s impressive debut album; a mix of brutal riffs with unparalleled melancholic atmosphere and epic, heavy progressive song structures. Recorded over a grueling three months, For Aeons Past features lyrical contribution and guest vocals from Dark Tranquillity s mainman Mikael Stanne, and stunning artwork from Pär Olofsson (Immortal, Exodus, The Faceless). "For Aeons Past" is an impressive achievement in modern Metal!
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