CoC : Solekahn - Suffering Winds : Review

Solekahn - _Suffering Winds_
(Imperial Maze, 2002)
by: Pedro Azevedo (7.5 out of 10)

Get past the somewhat uninviting production, and you may well find a rather interesting disc in this obscure release. This is an eight-song EP, with a playing time of under 20 minutes -- including atmospheric intro, interlude and outro (all brief). The songs themselves (as you may have already guessed) are quite short, occasionally even below the two minute mark. Solekahn play mostly fast-paced and dynamic death metal with hints of black and thrash, often carrying a subdued melody that may not be initially apparent behind the intense drum barrage reminiscent of Vader. There is a dark atmosphere surrounding their mysterious-sounding music, and the succinctness of the songs and the EP itself works well for the band, again much like what happens with Vader -- I found myself spinning this disc a lot more often than I expected. Furthermore, the dynamics are good, there is a fair degree of variety in the music (especially on the noteworthy "In Dementia"), and the material is consistently enjoyable throughout. Considering this is the French trio's debut release, I will be looking forward to an eventual full-length album.

Contact: http://www.solekahn.maxximum.org

(article published 3/7/2002)