Solence- Hope is a Cult
Released February 17, 2023
Markus Videsäte, David Strääf, David Vikingsson, Johan Swärd
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Metalcore
Intro
I finally am getting around to doing this review. I originally planned to do this as a double header with the BMTH review but got busy watching my beloved Rangers blow it in the conference finals. Fuck you Jacob Trouba. Anyways time to review a somewhat small album from a pretty unknown band. This album is fucking great and has one song in particular that really has a tendency to just break me, but I'll get to that when its time. For now lets get into the review.
Thoughts & Feelings
This album makes me feel like I had a metal band as a therapist. I know that sounds weird but just read the review, its hard to explain without the song context.
Smash or Pass?
Rain Down- SSMMAASSHH. Perfect opening track for this album. A neat electro-metal opening with amazing clean vocals and a face crushing breakdown into normal Metalcore instrumentals. The chorus is incredible and portrays so much emotion. WHAT A SCREAMING BREAKDOWN. Don't expect alot of screaming from this band, they are definitely metal but not nearly as heavy as most bands.
Best For You- SSSSSSSSMMMMMMMAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH. AHHHHH THIS FUCKING SONG IS SO GOOD. This was the song I mentioned in the intro, this one has a weird ability to just break me. Il get to that later though as this song deserves a real review. MAN THAT FUCKING INSTRUMENTAL IS INCREDIBLE AND THE VOCALS SOUND ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The use of metalcore standards with this band's electronic background makes one of the best electro-metal hybrids I have ever heard. Now for why this song breaks me. The lyrics almost perfectly describe something that happened between me and a very close friend of mine, who I know reads the site and I won't name drop. I'm not gonna go into too much detail but that's the short version of it. Gold medal and "LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING SONG" award.
Demons- SSSMMMMAAASSSSHHHH. THIS SONG IS SO FUCKING GOOD AGAIN. This one is definitely closer to electronic than metal outside of a few elements. The vocals sound amazing and the instrumentals are amazing. WOW A DUBSTEP SCREAMING BREAKDOWN. The chorus is so fucking catchy its insane. ANOTHER BREAKDOWN HOLY SHIT THIS ONE IS HEAVY. WHAT A GUITAR SOLO AT THE END. This band is crazy good on their instruments.
Waves- SMASH. Slow electronic focused opening that picks up a little bit. I dont know who the female singer on the track is but she is amazing. Their voices perfectly mix and add so much to this already great track. Weakest song so far but still amazing.
Antidote- SSMAASSHH. This song has a slow dragged out opening but really picks up at the first chorus and just stays good from there. WHAT A BREAKDOWN NEAR THE END. For what this song sounds like, the breakdown adds alot of the metal feeling it was missing.
Claustrophobia- SSSSSMMMMAAAAASSSSSHHHH. The opening sounds like it belongs on a Sega CD game. The retro feeling from the electronic aspects mix perfectly with the metal elements to help form one of the best songs on the album. This sounds like a really really good pop-metal song. Like P!ATD mixed with Sempiternal BMTH. The synth solo at the mid point is amazing. SCREAMING BREAKDOWN AND THIS ONE IS EVEN HEAVIER THAN THE LAST. The chorus is so catchy and fun
_hope is a cult_- Smash. Little acoustic guitar track to bridge the first and second halves. Not bad at all.
Better This Way- SSMMAASSHH. The vocals repeat alot and thats the ONLY issue with this song. Everything else is AMAZING. The instrumental, the vocals, the electronic aspects, EVERYTHING is perfect. Great song to continue the trend.
nuBlood- SSMMAASSHH. A feature from Fame on Fire on this track. The feature adds so much to this song its insane. The entire band is working on this so the unique instrumental and vocals are all there. The breakdown is even more impactful with their presence here and the song just flows perfectly from band to band.
Life Goes On- SSMAASHH. A slow, pretty acoustic track with a ton of emotion and soul. This song feels super personal and almost like a message from the band to the listener that everything will be ok. Kind of a coincidence this is on the same album as Best For You which as I mentioned, brings up some rough memories.
Endless- SSMMAASSHHH. Another hopeful ballad track, but this one is much louder and more upbeat. MAN THAT FUCKING SOLO SHREDS. This song fucking slaps, the chorus is amazing, the instrumental is incredible, just everything is great.
_a new hope_- Smash. Another slow piano instrumental to bridge the album into the final song. This one is amazing though.
Blood Sweat Tears- SSMMAASSHH. HOLY 7 MINUTES. It's hard to make songs this long that stay good all the way through. The message given throughout the album of hope is so perfectly done on this song. The vocals are done around 4 minutes in and the rest of the song is an absolutely incredible instrumental with some of the best acoustic guitars I've ever heard in a metal song. The electric guitar is amazing here, and the drums are incredible. Everything about this instrumental is perfect, the theatric elements over the metal band is amazing. This is one of the single greatest closing tracks I have ever heard.
Conclusion
This album is fucking amazing, personal meanings aside. Any fan of Techno or Metal should listen to this, and if you like both this will be one of the best albums you have ever listened to. This band and album specifically are criminally underrated so do yourself, and the band a favor and go check them out.
RANK: A+
I apologize for this one taking so long, I had quite alot pop up. As many of you know I'm a Rangers fan and I had to witness that fiasco so that sucked, Fuck you Trouba. On top of that baseball season has started so I've had practice and all sorts of shit to do with that. As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave feedback. Make sure to check out this band and album, I promise you will like it.
-Jake (JunosBestFriend)
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