Sol, Let There Be A Massacre

I’ve listened to this one several times now and I continually find myself amazed by the album’s completeness. Combining epic instrumentation with some of the thickest doom riffs around, the one man black death machine Emil Brahe has dropped a bomb on with his Van Records debut Let There Be A Massacre. Vocally, his delivery is just as deadly as the music that accompanies it — ranging from abysmally deep guttural growls to mad-man like ranting.

Throughout the album you will be surprised by moments of sheer musical genius. For instance, one of my favorite bits on this album is the mixing of a riff that is reminiscent of a graduation commencement march with groove filled guttural vocals, then shifting to the deepest gloom riffage you’ve ever heard. It all just seems to fit together — huge riffs, creative as hell drumming and even a good bit of sampling. Quite simply, hearing is believing.

Centuries of Human Filth
Honestly, the first time I popped this disc blindly into the player and this track opened up I thought I was about to hear a black metal version of Body Count’s “There Goes The Neighborhood.” Weird. At any rate, Sol starts off the opening track with heavy bass work, plodding drums and a nasty riff. It’s only after the music fades to background static and hits back in that the vocals come in. They are deep, guttural and full of disdain for humanity.

Apathetic Pride
“Apathetic Pride” starts with more thick, heavy hitting bass work and calculated drum work. Huge doomy riffs bring visions of doom as a slowly building, yet memorable bit of guitar work fades in. At just over five minutes in length, this is the shortest track on the album. More deep, guttural vocals spit out the lyrical content.

Boginki
This is probably my favorite track on the album. The first third of the song is dominated with a catchy as hell drum beat that is repeated for a solid five plus minutes behind huge, end-of-the-world riffs and tortured vocals. As the first portion of the song is swallowed by dark riffing and static, the darker vocal-dominated section hits with the vehemence of someone who has lost all hope in any good in humanity. The most intriguing portion of the track starts at about the 7 minute mark with a riff that sounds as though it could be used at any high school or university graduation commencement. Mixed with the plodding drums and guttural vocals it’s an interesting and hypnotizing bit of musical mastery.

Where Angels Rot
“Where Angels Rot” starts off slowly with thick riffing and slowly played drums as a din of static filled bass fills the air. Another memorable bit of guitar work precedes the vocals (which don’t come in until the two minute mark). If you thought Sol’s vocal work was deep in the early tracks, then you haven’t heard anything until unholy hell is unleashed through Emil’s throat.

Era of Decadence
A huge growl and riffing start this next song off with a sound as though it’s being played within the confines of a steel coffin. It’s an interesting production mix that separates it a bit from the previous four songs. Indecipherable vocals mix with memorable riffing to produce one hell of a dark track.

The Inanity of Man
The second longest track on the Let There Be A Massacre weighs in at just over 10 minutes in length and starts with thick, doomy bass work before being engulfed by some nice riffage. More guttural growls fill the air throughout this one — good luck figuring out what he’s saying without liner notes.

Apocalypse
The final track on the album announced the end of the world through tribal pounding drums and an accordion of all things. Like a slow moving funeral dirge, “Apocalypse” moves at a snails pace. With the accordion of death, Brahe mixes in oddly plucked banjo. It’s an odd track, but some what appropriate of an end for the album

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played this album in the short time I’ve owned it. It just seems to be one of those releases that gets under your skin and festers for a bit. Perhaps it’s the creative musicianship, the catchy riffs or complete disregard for humanity that causes it to be such a grabbing experience, but I just can’t seem to get enough of it.

Favorite Tracks:
Just about all of them.

Additional Notes:
n/a