N. O.

Maybe it's because Solothus make both kinds of music -- death and doom -- with such enthusiasm. This isn't doom metal with some chugging, or death metal with some doomy moments. There are heaping mounds of crawling anguish here, like your psyche's been harnessed to granite-wrapped-in-lead plow and after trudging through eighteen acres of black earth there are still eighty-two acres to go. Alternately, when the death metal grooves kick in, the boys bring some genuine feel-filthy aggression and make you believe this is all they ever really wanted to play. Maybe the enjoyment lies in the unflaggingly amazing guitar leads and soloing, which lend a secondary voice to the songs with a different agenda than the monochromatic (but no less intoxicating) guttural roaring. Or maybe I'm forgetting that this music often transcends the sum of its parts, that the songwriting itself draws the listener spellbound through all the grim tempos and vile chord progressions.

Whatever it is, _Summoned From the Void_ slides into ears and grips them viciously for all 40 minutes. If you're waiting for the next great gimmick to unravel metal all over again, then this isn't for you. If you remember that solid, unpretentious songs are what drive the experience all the way home, then you need to take a peek at what Solothus found this time in the void.