It’s unbelievable that it’s been four years since Preston thrash legends Solitary released their last record, 2020’s awesome The Truth Behind the Lies, so when the new singles started dropping in the run up to the release it was a welcome surprise having not knowing the band had new material in the works. Flashing forward at 200bpm to the present and the new album, Embrace the Darkness, has been out for a couple of weeks and on my commute listening since.
The first impression comes from the cover art, which continues the style of it’s predecessor with the circular crest-style piece and striking colours. Although the colour palette is more muted (apt considering the album title), they’re more vivid which gives the cover art an almost-freshly done tattoo design feel. Embrace the Darkness opens with a short instrumental in “IXII-XII-MMXX” before bursting into the title track. The song builds seamlessly transitioning through the legato phrased riffs and simple power chords as the drums keep a brisk but not breakneck beat, with the kick work adding to the hook factor. A darker feel comes at the end with the synth pad backing the final chorus enveloping in the ear in the closing atmosphere. The band pick up the pace in follow-up “Settle the Scores the Old Way” getting the neck muscles working through the aggressive riffing. More technical and harmonised ideas come into play throughout the song giving an almost melodic feel alongside the awesome shredding licks. The song is sure to be a live banger, manifesting a mental video of the band and crowd roaring the “Fight!” chant at an open-air festival while the crunchy chug riff blasts out the massive PA.
“Virtues” simplifies to more straightforward power chord riffing although there’s more variance in tempo and beat that keep the head banging, especially to the stomping half-time feel moments. The lyrics are also standout, feeling more introspective and resonant as well as being catchy. The trends continue throughout Embrace the Darkness. Hook-filled throughout like a Pinhead victim, each element is bladed chain through the skin be it a banging riff, a punchy drum pattern or a catchy vocal line delivered with frontman Rich Sherrington’s gruff barks and melodic approach. The production continues the vibe of modern-era Solitary beginning a few albums back from 2007’s killer The Diseased Heart of Society with the heaviness coming from a awesome blend of the punchy kick and present rumbling distorted bass with the biting guitars sitting just on top in the mix. On repeated listens the precision in both performance and mix is clear, with the band performing incredibly tight amplified by each instrument being perfectly balanced and complementing each other in the mix, even more so on this album than before.
Notable moments in the latter half of Embrace Darkness come in “The Disappeared” where Solitary rev up to full speed forcing the head to bang with its raging rip-roaring riffs and pounding drums, especially the lightning fast kicks. Final tune “Filtering Hindsight” brings different flavour with its stomping beat and melodic chorus making for a memorable conclusion to a killer album. With this latest LP Solitary have released a concise collection of crushing and catchy thrash metal that sounds better than ever. The band’s three decades in the underground honing their craft continue to pay off proving that the promise to thrash forever remains true.
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