Solemn Vision - "Despite the Rise of the Sun"

I didn't hate it, which says more than you think

Solemn Vision is a five-piece Melodic Death Metal outfit based in Brooklyn, New York. Despite the Rise of the Sun (which is a sexy fucking album title, I have to say) is their sophomore effort. Their debut, self-titled album released in 2019.

This album¹ comes as a recommendation from my friend, and the frontman of Scorched Moon, Trapper Lanthier. Despite that he knows Death isn’t my forte.

I’ll have to do a separate post breaking down my opinions on harsh vocals in detail.

Because, yes, this album contains only harsh vocals. Well, technically. Sort of. I’ll explain in a moment.

Despite the Rise of the Sun is an aggressive offering featuring nine unique tracks and rarely a moment to breathe. At the forefront of the assault, of course, is vocalist Aaron Harris, a rare black face in the sea of white men that is, unfortunately, the majority of Metal at-large. Harris’ energy in each song is a driving force; while, again, I don’t love harsh vocals, he absolutely kills it.

The rest of the band features two guitarists (Kadin Wisniewski and Mauricio Cornejo), a bassist (Anthony Rafferty), and a drummer (Carlos Crowcell). While the double-guitar composition ensures that there’s never a barren moment in the soundscape, it is Crowcell’s work on the kit that really steals the show for me – especially in the earlier tracks. The melody doesn’t really show up in “Father From the Flame” or “Gates” (tracks 1 & 3, respectively), but Crowcell does. While he can’t save these songs from themselves, he also maintains a dominant presence throughout the album, and the percussion line is one of the most interesting elements in each song. A lot of Death and Extreme Metal acts lean extra hard on the double-kick and use it in a constant, rolling fashion. Crowcell is a bit more creative and rhythmic in his utilization.

On the whole, though, the album improves as it goes on. The last half sees stronger melodies than the first, and deeper instrumentation. The guitar and bass lines really start to show up with “On the Eve of Silence” – particularly in the second half of that song.² Harris even gets a few clean vocal lines in on a couple of songs, which is nice.

The album builds over the course of its runtime, all the way to track 8: “Unfinished Tapestry”, which is likely the best song on the album. It’s such a core track that the band opted to finish the album by repeating it – in acoustic!

This acoustic iteration really, in my opinion, showcases the band’s talent in a way that is more palatable to a broader audience. Myself, included.

I cannot say that this is a band or an album that I want to come back to regularly. I really enjoy the deep instrumentation found in the latter half of the album, and Crowcell’s drumming is a breath of fresh air. But I find constant harsh vocals to be grating, which is why Death, Black, and other Extreme genres tend to fall outside of my preferences.

But I would strongly recommend this album to those who do enjoy the genre, as this album should rate fairly highly with listeners whose preferences more closely align with Solemn Vision’s sound.

Rating: Yellow

1. Along with the other Death Metal review coming out today; the review of Air Not Meant for Us by Connecticut’s Fires in the Distance will be posting in a few hours

2. I have to note, though, that “Avarice” (track 2) is one of the best tracks on the album, despite the overall trend