Solitude Aeturnus

The first L.P. from Solitude Aeturnus, Into the Depths of Sorrow, was recorded in January 1990 and released the following year. The only thing that I can really compare this to, and most obvious, is the first Candlemass album. This is melodic, epic doom metal that creates an atmosphere of melancholy and existential dread. The vocals are powerful and haunting, almost ethereal at times, and perfectly suit the material. There are some surpringly intricate bits woven into the crushing doom, but everything here has a purpose. No one is trying to show off or do anything that doesn't ultimately serve the songs, as the goal here was to create a gloomy atmosphere of despair and these guys succeeded very well. The sound is rather crisp and clear, but not overly so. They didn't have the top of the line budget so, thankfully, this is not overproduced or sterile. Highlights include "Opaque Divinity" and "Mirror of Sorrow", but this record is so ridiculously good that you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not just listen to the entire thing. Into the Depths of Sorrow is highly recommended and I wish there were more albums like this.

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