SOLITUDE AETURNUS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9n68bp_wj4

"9th Day Awakening" live

That whole DVD is just pure doomy goodness. I highly recommend it.

spectrefate wrote:

That whole DVD is just pure doomy goodness. I highly recommend it.

Yeah, I really need to track that one down...

Nice I just don't like the goody get up on the lead singer... everyone else is pretty street.. makes for a weird visual

ghosts of athanasius wrote:

Nice I just don't like the goody get up on the lead singer... everyone else is pretty street.. makes for a weird visual

CANDLEMASS does the same thing...Messiah always wore monks robes...

I know just seems lame to me.. maybe it is part of the ambience but I always thought Dio was goofy when he did it too

It's all part of the show, I guess...I hate "dressing up" for photos/shows...I always liked just going on stage in a t-shirt & jeans...

Can't go wrong with SA.

etombdissonance wrote:

Can't go wrong with SA.

Nevah, evah!!

HOLY shit!!

I just discovered these guys thanks to myspace, and...

......

DAMN...that's some good dooooooom there

*EDIT* I just noticed the reverse filter changing shit to shit.

haha! ya got uncensored, dood! It always cracks me up the first time somebody notices that!

Cool that you're grooving on SA. Robert Lowe has a great voice! Check out The Living Waters by LAST CHAPTER if you haven't heard it yet. Robert sings on that also and the music is along the same lines as SA.

oh really?? So is there a CDA connection there?

ghosts of athanasius wrote:

oh really?? So is there a CDA connection there?

Yeah, Lowe was recruited to sing on Last Chapter's debut...great stuff.

Also, check out Concept Of God w/ Lowe and other SA members...

I love this band

Sword Of The Heretic wrote:

HOLY shit!!

I just discovered these guys thanks to myspace, and...

......

DAMN...that's some good dooooooom there

*EDIT* I just noticed the reverse filter changing shit to shit.

What blows my mind is that this is still the case after all these years,I constantly wrote about them in Harder Beat,told anybody and evervbody that would listen how great they were,wore my shirts and hat all around the area,and I still have people here giving me quizzical looks when I ask if they have heard, or even heard of Solitude Aeturnus.No joke,I mean,yes I know and have hung out with them,even at the places they live, in the case of John and Lyle,but all personal bias aside to me they are one of the most talented bands,period,in metal's history.Without mass publicity it is AMAZING how long it takes for a band to have their name known,it is getting better but I am sure that there are still umpteen numbers of heavy music fans that still are not aware of them.

For anyone that is not,if you like Robert's voice on the Candlemass KOTGI cd,you HAVE to get their first three epic discs,Into The Depths Of Sorrow,Beyond The Crimson Horizon,and Through The Darkest Hour.If you are a believer you will especially like the first two,as some of the songs on them were written by their former vocalist Kristoff Gabehart,who was spiritual in his lyric writing.Oddly enough,even though he had darker taste in music,bassist/lyricist Lyle Steadham somewhat continued in a kind of "ethereal" poetic style lyrically.There was a sort of defiance in their early stuff,doomy,but not giving in to the despair completely,and looking higher or internally,seeking some guidance ,to deal with the sorrow and the wicked world.

I really like SA...and am especially a fan of Lowe's vocals...but some of their later stuff got a little too dark for me...I know it's Doom and darkness is a part of the whole thing...but I prefer the ethereal lyrical style of the earlier albums to the dark, seemingly death-centered style of later albums...

Yeah,it is a shame,musically,"Alone" is spectacular,such majestic doom riffs and then those words are heard,in a way,things don't seem to fit right, with the bleak outlook.That really started with Downfall,"Phantoms" was a great song musically,but that was the first to begin the questioning.Before,with Lyle's lyrics,certain things were expected,but he began to give in to the more hopeless side and his last lyrics were the darkest he had ever written.I had hoped, with the experimental feel of Downfall,that it would be a one time thing,but really it was the beginning for what was to come.

Yeah, Alone was massive musically...but some of the lyrics were a bit much. I used to try and ignore them, but at the end of the day, I'm just not into the whole "flesh peels exposing the rotting scent of death" type lyrics...I prefer ethereal, poetic, or heartfelt lyrics.

I think "Alone" is the best thing they have ever done and i really like the lyrics and the overall mood they create but at the same time i agree they have changed since the earlier days. I like both styles of writing though.

Shawn Eat Snake wrote:

Yeah, Alone was massive musically...but some of the lyrics were a bit much. I used to try and ignore them, but at the end of the day, I'm just not into the whole "flesh peels exposing the rotting scent of death" type lyrics...I prefer ethereal, poetic, or heartfelt lyrics.

I guess I should have saw it coming,but with the discussions I had with Robert in the early days,we talked about how much he liked Trouble and Eric's lyrics,and he even said once from the stage just how much of an influence Trouble was to him,well I guess it kind of blindsided me how dark his were.

Of course it should be taken into account how crappy Solitude was treated in their own home area by the clubs ,and the labels they were on.Also they are friends with several,including myself,of the ex-members of the massive epic spiritual fail known as Heavenly Metal Ministries.On a personal note,since they are my friends,I couldn't lie to them about my no good abusive lying hypocritical ex-brother in law,who put together several shows with Christian metal acts years ago.So ,you see,along with their own personal and business struggles,they witnessed a MASSIVE spiritually related meltdown,for example,nearly everyone that was married in that church has fallen into adultery and eventually divorce,including the pastor.

Just what Robert has been privy to in this area alone is enough to fill a couple of doom albums with ! I love the guys like brothers and I hope that personally they find their way,but I do understand why the lyrics are darker,understand it all too well !

Jeez i didn't know all that, thanks for the heads up on that one. Even though Solitude has a decent fan base, i think they deserve to be way bigger than what they are.

You know man,I honestly think that some nowdays are just jumping on a gloom/death/funereal lyrical bandwagon.Of course I keep that opinion expressed only around those in the know about the genre.

Also,even though I have spiritual beliefs,since I am aware of certain things I don't judge,after all,I don't know what some have gone through,as you were not about Solitude.I have had a brief conversation (actually it was an unpublished interview)with Nick Holmes of PL,and kind of understand why he has written some of the things he has,corresponded some with Robert Hackl of Jack Frost,and through the review for his lyric book,sadly am aware of the living hell that Paul Kuhr of Novembers Doom endures daily.I think through this all,I have become a more sympathetic person as well as much more aware.

I will be the first to admit,that like some blind souls I used to speak from an ivory tower about darkness and lack of faith,but now ,having dwelt in the valley of reality,I understand better now.Doom,when sincerely presented,is some of the most powerful and real music there is.Btw,John once told me he was approached with the idea of "toning it down" to achieve wider appeal,but the guy has genuine integrity, and refused to do so,another reason why the genre is one of my favorites,the people are more down to earth and real,playing the music they love because they love the music.

What the hell, i just spent 20 minutes typing a big long reply to this and it didn't post. Just gave me a blank page. I will try again over the weekend.

Yes,that happens to me sometimes too,thought it was just dial -up though.Also, I am notorious for long replies,I used to drive people crazy until I learned how to space and stuff.I had a schedule change for this week so I will be lurking around some on Sun and Mon for once,so may actually be able to get back to you sooner,great to have you on here man ! I can talk Solitude and other great doom bands all day long,majorly dig the following bands

Black Sabbath (bet that comes as a surprise LOL! ) ALL versions of Sabbath,Iommi is king of the heavy riff,like them all !

Solitude Aeturnus (another shocker !)

Last Chapter (like brothers,of course, trying out for vocalist and being called talented in print makes me kind of fond of them also,great guys,great HEAVY band

Trouble-like a sentimental old friend,like some Sab,Vitus and early SA lyrics,my soul can be found among them

Saint Vitus= AWESOME

Pentagram/Place Of Skulls-Victor Griffin is simply one of the coolest and most talented musical individuals on this planet,Bobby Liebling is one of my fave vocalists and a major vocal talent,he seems to be able to bend and twist his vocal sound at will,producing different sounds in different songs.

Wino-any band with Wino,the man is the classic doom equivalent of DIO, you just want to hear that voice,the band name may change but Weinrich is a force of nature,he just is.

Candlemass -Always beeen great, but with Robert on board makes it feel like more of a doom kinship,like far away brothers

Count Raven-one of my all time faves lyrically,wish more doom bands would write like them,not afraid to say anything lyrically,and the music is great as well.

Las Cruces- talented home state band,greatly underrated IMO,Mark Z. is a unique and talented vocalist

All these plus many others,don't want to write a novel here LOL!

Yeah i love all of those also but a few more i would like to throw in is.

Electric Wizard - Still love the early stuff, i think they have lost a little of their edge recently but the early albums is still some of the heaviest stuff ever recorded.

Pagan Altar - Not really a Doom band if you think about it but they are classic old-school metal. Lords Of Hypocrisy is still my all time favorite album from them. That dood's vocals still sound so original.

Witchfinder General - First two albums still sound great today.

Church Of Misery - Endless songs about mass murderer's can get a bit tedious but musically they are a pure Doom onslaught with some killer riffs.

The Lamp Of Thoth - A bit cheesy at times but one of the most entertaining bands around today.

Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium remains one of my most played and favorite albums ever. I like all their albums but that first album made me a Doom fan for life.

Sleep - Basically summed up the whole stoner/doom scene with one album "Dopesmoker" but Holy mountain is still my favorite.

Doomraiser - One of the best of the newer breed of Doom bands, some of their riffs are so infectious yet so heavy.

There is many more great bands but these ones and the ones on your list remain my most played Doom bands ever.

love sa, great band

ed wrote:

Yeah i love all of those also but a few more i would like to throw in is.

Electric Wizard - Still love the early stuff, i think they have lost a little of their edge recently but the early albums is still some of the heaviest stuff ever recorded.

Pagan Altar - Not really a Doom band if you think about it but they are classic old-school metal. Lords Of Hypocrisy is still my all time favorite album from them. That dood's vocals still sound so original.

Witchfinder General - First two albums still sound great today.

Church Of Misery - Endless songs about mass murderer's can get a bit tedious but musically they are a pure Doom onslaught with some killer riffs.

The Lamp Of Thoth - A bit cheesy at times but one of the most entertaining bands around today.

Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium remains one of my most played and favorite albums ever. I like all their albums but that first album made me a Doom fan for life.

Sleep - Basically summed up the whole stoner/doom scene with one album "Dopesmoker" but Holy mountain is still my favorite.

Doomraiser - One of the best of the newer breed of Doom bands, some of their riffs are so infectious yet so heavy.

There is many more great bands but these ones and the ones on your list remain my most played Doom bands ever.

doomraiser is good, sleep owns all, cathedrals first 3 albums are gold, i dislike church of misery though, they stole macabres gimmick

NapalmDave wrote:

ed wrote:

Yeah i love all of those also but a few more i would like to throw in is.

Electric Wizard - Still love the early stuff, i think they have lost a little of their edge recently but the early albums is still some of the heaviest stuff ever recorded.

Pagan Altar - Not really a Doom band if you think about it but they are classic old-school metal. Lords Of Hypocrisy is still my all time favorite album from them. That dood's vocals still sound so original.

Witchfinder General - First two albums still sound great today.

Church Of Misery - Endless songs about mass murderer's can get a bit tedious but musically they are a pure Doom onslaught with some killer riffs.

The Lamp Of Thoth - A bit cheesy at times but one of the most entertaining bands around today.

Cathedral - Forest of Equilibrium remains one of my most played and favorite albums ever. I like all their albums but that first album made me a Doom fan for life.

Sleep - Basically summed up the whole stoner/doom scene with one album "Dopesmoker" but Holy mountain is still my favorite.

Doomraiser - One of the best of the newer breed of Doom bands, some of their riffs are so infectious yet so heavy.

There is many more great bands but these ones and the ones on your list remain my most played Doom bands ever.

doomraiser is good, sleep owns all, cathedrals first 3 albums are gold, i dislike church of misery though, they stole macabres gimmick

Yes they stole a lot from a lot of bands, their early stuff is the best. They have lost a bit of momentum with the last couple of albums.

This band is incredible.

Hey,welcome to the dark, doomy and totally cool and laid back virtual expanse that is the Cave.If you have any questions about the band I might be the one to answer them.I have known John and been acquainted with several past and current members of the band,as well as trying out for and being buds with Last Chapter.Also acquainted with a couple of members of the elusive Las Cruces,if you happen to know of and/or dig them.

I would like to know what went wrong with the Hour Of Despair DVD, the sound is super-thin and nothing like whats on the CD's. Also the crowd is dead, if i was there i would be headbanging like crazy. Still better than no DVD at all but not a good representation of Solitude Aeturnus. I know someone who had never heard the band before who bought that DVD online as a introduction to the band. He hated it totally, i have since got him into the band by playing the CD's to him though.

Just a guess,but I would say: budget.I don't know about Candlemass,because they have a few years and collectively,a lot more fame on SA,I don't know a lot about their finances,I believe John actually makes his living from the label and mailorder,but the rest of the guys have regular jobs.

In my opinion of course they should be "stars", and underground wise they are an example of the peak of doom success,but the sad reality is they still are not that well known.

Of course here is where we come in,I for example have done just about everything humanly possible to promote them,my page,wearing their shirts,blaring the music,I even have a Solitude hat.One of my most prized items though is a cross pendant like the one displayed in the picture of Beyond The Crimson Horizon.As far as the crowd,I don't know where it was shot.Due to my own buget constraints,I have yet to get it,I do have the old Days Of Doom VHS though, LOL,you think the DVD is low budget,of course I love it,but it was rough in spots.

I still like the DVD but from a promotional point of view, it doesn't do the band justice. On my surround sound system, i have to turn the bass up full blast just to get it to a decent level like the CD's. Its a pity because the production on their albums is killer. The crowd reaction is something that always bugs me anyway, i have seen a lot of great bands give amazing performance's to audience's that just stand around like zombies lol. Like you said its budget restrictions and i can understand that totally.

Yeah,since I am about promoting too,it is a shame that the DVD sounds like it is not impressing some people,it is even more of a shame since Solitude is such an EXCELLENT band.One of the things I have always said is that IMO one of the most glowing comments that I can make about them, is with knowing them personally,I have never had to exaggerate or embellish anything.

They really are that good,for example when I say Robert has a Dio quality of a great voice and being able to take most cover songs and make them his,I am totally serious ,and I for one am very happy that more and more of the world knows of their musical skill.

just stand around like zombies lol,hey,isn't that what doom fans should be doing,seriously though,yeah,to me if you spend hours hanging around in a smoky club,enduring other bands (as I had to do at many Solitude shows) by the time they hit the stage,you would think they would be very ready to make some noise.

I have been fortunate though a few times to have seen some all around great shows

SOLITUDE/TOURNIQUET
SOLITUDE/old thrash style LIVING SACRIFICE
SOLITUDE/LAS CRUCES (a doom fans dream)
and since I bummed a ride with them SOLITUDE solo as the Black Sabbath tribute band HAND OF DOOM

I never expect wide mosh pits or stage-diving at a doom gig, that would be just ridiculous but some noise and at least some nodding of heads would be good. I actually think Rob is better than Dio and i Dio is one of my heroes so that is saying something. Rob has power, charisma and phrasing unlike anyone else in the Doom Metal scene. He might not the image attributes that some frontmen have but he makes up for it with his voice.

Robert Lowe's vocals are amazing...not just as a Doom singer, but as a Singer in general...he puts forth such a powerful, sinister vibe in everything he sings...one of my faves.

ed wrote:

I never expect wide mosh pits or stage-diving at a doom gig, that would be just ridiculous but some noise and at least some nodding of heads would be good. I actually think Rob is better than Dio and i Dio is one of my heroes so that is saying something. Rob has power, charisma and phrasing unlike anyone else in the Doom Metal scene. He might not the image attributes that some frontmen have but he makes up for it with his voice.

Wow,better than Dio,those are some strong words Dog of Doom.I guess I would say that they are each great in their own way.In some low points in my life, when practically no one was there,and before I became a part of any metal scene,the music of Sabbath and the emotion and power of Dio's voice sometimes helped me keep my sanity,so Dio is like that special friend I never got to meet.

On the other side of the coin,meeting Solitude has in a large part inspired me, and to tell the absolute truth, allowed me, in a way to go farther than I could ever have imagined within the underground metal scene.Speaking impartially for a moment though,as great as Robert is,I am only aware of three people directly influenced by his voice,which would be the singer for Solstice,myself (he taught me a lot about phrasing ,and when to cut notes off, instead of trying to carry them too far ) and IMO,either purposely or not,Shawn Green,the second singer for Chapter.

Of course,since you have your ear tuned to way more of the new doom scene ED,you would know better than me,are there more guys now being influenced by Robert ?

Oh and about your "sinister" statement Shawn,its funny,because to me,on the first two Solitude albums,what I used to say was that to me if you imagined what the voice of an angel,say Gabriel for example,sounded like, it would be Robert's smooth steady melodic lines,I mean his voice just floats on Solitude's heavy rhythms in the older stuff.IMO,because of Robert's amazing control,SA is almost hypnotic in their heaviness...........

Personally i think Robert's voice in more in tune with Doom Metal than Dio's but Dio is more of a straight Hard Rock singer so its hard to compare the two from that perspective. In the last 2 years i have more bands influenced by Solitude Aeturnus than ever before, Dark Covenant from Canada is one obvious one but the great thing about Robert is its real hard to copy his style so its pretty rare when you hear a direct copy of his voice. Musically however though, there is literally dozens of Solitude Aeturnus clones.

The band has arrived, to me that is awesome news,after all no one copies you in heavier metal unless you are really good.It is all really opinion in the end of course, but to me with the mood,heaviness and lyrics,Dio fronted Sabbath to me vocally is the forerunner to the more progressive side of doom like Candlemass,Solitude,Sorceror etc.That combination of power and melodic tones.

The funny thing is they are like opposites of each other,where Dio mostly roars the verses and will take it down in intros or in the middle of a song,Robert mostly sings the verses melodically and roars for dramatic effect, at particular times.It is that ,that makes me compare the two at least in their approach.

Robert started off just singing more melodically on the first two albums,the third is really where he began to growl and roar a bit more.Though I wish the lyrics were a bit more outward looking,overall I think the way Robert varies his singing is a good change,that said though,I have to admit my favorite Candlemass song with him is "Stars and Smoke" and it has a vintage Solitude vocal feel about it.............

I got the Candlemass Ashes to Ashes DVD too and Rob's voice on that is the best thing about it. Not taking anything away from the rest of the band but his voice stands out on it more than the actual music.

This is a good band, from what I've heard of them. I am just getting heavily into doom, so these guys are a recent discovery. Rob Lowe is a KILLER vocalist.

Picked up a used copy of Through The Darkest Hour last night @ FYE...killer album! I'm glad to have it in my possession once again...

John is doing a interview with me, hopefully it should be published this week.

Awesome!

I just picked up Hour Of Despair on DVD in a trade and despite being laid up in bed all weekend I did not watch it yet...

Recently picked up quite a few SA albums - Beyond the Crimson Horizon, Through The Darkest Hour, Downfall, Adagio and Alone. Great stuff