Solitude Aeturnus
Into The Depths Of Sorrow

"To hatred, bitterness, suffering, discouragement, and hangovers: without you this album wouldn't have been possible". This phrase stands out in the booklet of the masterpiece Epicus Doomicus Metallicus by the Swedish Candlemass, a band that, if it didn't invent the doom genre, certainly is among its greatest exponents. They have well codified the genre, giving birth to at least three albums of immeasurable importance today. Now you might ask what the connection between Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus is. The answer is simple: beyond doom, the musical creed of both groups, the point of contact between the two bands is the singer. Robert Lowe, who with the Swedes recorded the last two albums, "King of the Grey Islands" and "Death Magic Doom", but who is also the leader of the American Solitude Aeturnus, another band of absolute relevance in the doom metal scene.

The album in question, which in the title launches what is the band's creed, was released in 1990, at a time when the Swedish "brothers" were losing their musical verve. Perhaps precisely because of this, the beginning was the one most followed by fans, who saw in the Texan band a valid alternative to the Stockholm doomsters. In this sense, in Into the Depths of Sorrow, we find the elements that made Candlemass great: slow and monolithic guitars, dilated rhythms, and lyrics centered on solitude and human existence with its difficulties. What makes Solitude Aeturnus "innovative" is their more heavy attitude, which detaches from the epic lyricism of Candlemass to mainly settle on musical schemes closer to Metallica, even though their musical proposal doesn't stray too far from the most classic doom. The line-up at the time, formed by Lowe on vocals, Edgar Rivera and John Perez on guitars, Lyle Steadham on bass and John Covington on drums, proves to be incredibly tight-knit and delivers an excellent doom metal album, the first in a career that saw them, over the years, falling out of the "circle" of prominent bands.

"Into the Depths of Sorrow" is a classically doom album, both in the structure of the songs and in the lyrics. Existential difficulties, human problems, solitude are the themes mostly tackled by the band, which after the intro "Dawn of Antiquity" makes explicit with the riff of "Opaque Divinity" their sound: nothing new, except that Solitude manages to create engaging and heartfelt songs. Lowe's voice, although attempting several times to mimic Messiah Marcolin, remains impactful and the singer will find his definitive maturation over the years. Another example of the Texans' heavy/doom is the second track. "Transcending Sentinels" is, in my humble opinion, the highlight of the entire work, thanks to a slow start that heralds the strong advent of the guitars and Lowe's always commendable vocalizations. The pairing of "Destiny Falls to Ruin" and "White Ship" lowers the heaviness, but the "belligerent" trend of the second stands out. With the excellent "Mirror of Sorrow", we return instead to those dark and decadent atmospheres splendidly evoked in their albums by Candlemass.

The recording debut of Solitude Aeturnus, curated on this occasion by Roadrunner Records, is a CD of absolute artistic value, although evident echoes of Swedish origin are present. The definitive maturation of their sound will occur in subsequent works, while with "Into the Depths of Sorrow", the band led by singer Robert Lowe laid the foundations for their musical creed, which will find many supporters in the years to come.

1. "Dawn Of Antiquity" (1:02)
2. "Opaque Divinity" (6:24)
3. "Transcending Sentinels" (7:34)
4. "Dream Of Immortality" (7:52)
5. "Destiny Falls To Ruin" (5:05)
6. "White Ship" (6:10)
7. "Mirror Of Sorrow" (7:36)
8. "Where Angels Dare To Tread" (5:56)