Morgion
Solinari

THE REVIEW

There are many inexplicable reasons why some albums manage to stand out more than others, sometimes even without merit. Thus, important and high-quality works end up disappearing while the music market is inundated with insipid pieces of colored plastic that contain nothing but a jumble of notes without ideas or spirit. Very often, having a good record label means securing a success that passion and creativity do not guarantee.

This is the situation faced (and continue to face) by the Morgion, an American band that, like many others around the world, will never have the fame or even the success they deserve. This is despite the fact that "Solinari," their second studio album, represents one of the essential doom/death metal releases for the development of this genre. Some epochal works that have deeply etched this "niche" in metal by setting the style standards of the genre, such as "Turn Loose the Swans" by My Dying Bride and "Brave Murder Day" by Katatonia, had already achieved a certain spread, contributing to the aura of "sacrality" of the bands that created them. Yet, although "overshadowed" by such important and well-known albums, "Solinari" (back in 1999) helped to strengthen a genre that, right after its explosion around the first half of the '90s, seemed destined to perish.

The Californian Morgion, who debuted in 1997 with "Among Majestic Ruin," reached their compositional peak (as many confirm) precisely with "Solinari." An introspective and perfectly constructed album, where every mood sensation varies from one moment to the next. "Solinari" is a doom metal album that reflects the epic and dreamy spirit born from the world that inspired the Californian quartet: the legendary and mysterious realm of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the creators of the fantasy literary saga "Dragonlance."

Atmospheres of legendary stamp establish themselves over a "wall of sound" of doom death where there is room for continuous melodic openings: the muffled and dusty sound of acoustic guitars makes the ensemble more evocative and contributes to making the album a gem that could be defined as "death/doom/progressive metal." A cathartic and surreal amalgam of early Anathema and bands like My Dying Bride, Katatonia, and Opeth. All features that find their sublimation in the two metaphysical epics "The Serpentine Scrolls - Descent to Arawn" and "Nightfall Infernal."

A work that shows no dips in tone but always maintains exorbitant qualitative levels, drawing inspiration from the aforementioned "greats" and reworking everything as one would in a fantastic world rooted in the darkness of the Middle Ages. Notes of pain, suffering, mists, lost dreams, and shattered sensations. One of the cornerstones of this genre that deserves to be rediscovered for all the emotional and atmospheric power it possesses.

"...between the Columns of Wisdom, I see my passage, I see my fate...sealed..."

1. "The Serpentine Scrolls - Descent To Arawn" (10:32)
2. "Canticle" (6:41)
3. "Solinari" (2:26)
4. "Nightfall Infernal" (11:04)
5. "All The Glory..." (6:05)
6. "...All The Loss" (6:20)
7. "Blight" (4:45)
8. "...The Last Sunrise" (4:48)