Solution .45
Nightmares In The Waking State – Part II
(AFM Records)
Two of the best guys in the melodic death metal scene are Dan Swano and Christian Alvestam, and as far as I’ve heard, neither have truly disappointed me with any of their projects. You already remember my review for the first part of this set, which definitely received a high amount of praise. I still recommend it, as I’d also recommend this. Of course! But why? Well, for those of you who haven’t heard the first portion, I’d really recommend that you do that as this is an great follow-up and it goes well with it’s sister album. As we might expect, there are some very heavy cuts (the album actually begins right-off with a scathing number called “The Faint Pulse Of Light” which doesn’t even feature a hint of clean vocal work) and some much lighter pieces strewn throughout the record, which makes for a good variety and shows just how talented of a vocalist we’ve got here, as well as some rather awesome guitar leads and keyboard sections. There’s actually quite a bit of keyboard influence to be had on this album, almost making for a proggy sense in some sections (so if you’re not a fan of the keyboard, this might be a tougher sell for you) but I wouldn’t say that it’s enough to completely remove it from the melodic death metal at it’s core. These guys nearly unleashed their inner Dream Theater on this disc, which has “Built On Sand” nearly spilling over the brim with trippy prog-antics. But honestly, I’d have it no other way. It always seemed to me that it was only a matter of time before Alvestam and the guys wanted to make a prog death disc, and that’s what they’ve done.
Nightmares…II isn’t about trying to be overly technical and it doesn’t feature eighty million different sets of riffs a minute. Fans of Soilwork know what’s going on here, and these guys definitely haven’t forgotten their roots in that regard. (As for Soilwork, they released a pretty killer disc last year anyway, so even Solution .45’s inspirations still have it.) Alvestam’s poppy chorus melodies are alive and well in “Inescapable Dream” as well as the ballad “The Curse That Keeps On Giving” but there’s still some major crunch to be had aside from the bright keyboards and clean falsettos. “Chain Connector” actually seems to bring the bite right back, as well as an atmosphere that just feels a little creepy and sort of metaphysical at the same time – almost as if you traveled to a bad section of the astral plane and discovered some demonic entities. There’s definitely some djent here as well, but Solution .45 can do djent justice in ways that most bands can only dream of. “What Turns The Wheels” gives us some pomp within it’s orchestral flare, but it makes for a very grandiose atmosphere that houses it’s chorus perfectly. Alvestam has always been great at making earworms and here is certainly no different. Some fans might complain that there aren’t enough songs with harsh vocals here, but I’d actually consider it a great mix. When you’ve got a man who can pretty much do it all as far as metal is concerned, I feel it’s important to showcase everything that he can do, rather than just give us one side of his talent. As I said, Swano and Alvestam are some of the best names in this business, and just as the new Witherscape proved that Swano isn’t going anywhere, the same can be said for Solution .45 and Alvestam. The same things that I’ve loved about Unmoored and Scar Symmetry can indeed be found here, and they’re even greater expanded upon than I would have ever imagined.
As I’ve already spilled the beans on most of what you’ll expect here, I have no desire to ruin the listen for you and hope that these guideposts will help you to make an informed decision as a listener. Let’s not forget though, Solution .45 is indeed a four-piece act and we definitely have to chalk it up to the twin-guitar team of Jani Stefanovic and Patrik Gardberg who really make this album what it is, as well as Rolf Pilve on the drums, which are just as memorable as you might expect for a listen of this depth and vibrancy. The previous chapter of this record only received a 45% on Metal Archives, but that’s literally just one man’s opinion and mine hasn’t changed in spite of it. Hopefully this second release will be enough to change his mind, as I’m definitely going to recommend this piece to fans of melodic death and progressive metal the world over. This is simply how you make melodic death metal in 2016, regardless of the whole “melodic groove metal/rock” tag the “elitists” want to throw on it. I’ve heard this stuff long enough to discern the riffs and it’s a losing battle arguing with those guys, so I’m just going to call it like I see it and flat out tell you that it’s going to be worth your money if this is what you’re into. Definitely give it a few listens first if you need to, but I’m sold on the record. Solution .45 have made another great, solid melodic death metal disc with all the experimentations that one might expect from the crew. At the risk of tripping over my tongue, (this is getting a bit lengthy) listeners are definitely advised to inject it into their earholes. (The Grim Lord)
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