Solitary - Embrace The Darkness

Solitary is a UK thrash metal band that formed in 1994.  “Embrace The Darkness” is their fifth full-length album. Over the years they have also released three demos, two EPs, two live albums, a compilation,  and a split.

I’ll be completely honest:  thrash metal is my least listened to genre.  It isn’t that I don’t like it; on the contrary, my formative years in discovering my taste were very much thrash oriented.  Everything from the classic bands like Megadeth and Anthrax to more modern heavy weights like Dew Scented and The Haunted could be found in my collection.  

But over the years it seems thrash has lost its bite.  The old guard can’t keep up and a lot of the new bands seem to be doing it “paint by numbers.”  But the exact moment I pushed play on this promo, everything I thought I knew about the direction of the genre changed.  What is this?  A band that has been around for a while that still has it?  Has the venom and attitude that so outlines thrash finally been harnessed once more?  

You bet your battle vest wearing ass it has.

On “Embrace The Darkness,”  Solitary leans hard into what made the genre so great in the first place.  The songs are fast, laced with a hardcore punk energy born out of feverish and fervent desperation for things to get better.  But, as the album’s title suggests, they also embrace all that is wrong with the world, and humanity in general.  But holding isn’t nearly enough.  They take all the wrong doing, the sadness, the grime of our time and cast it back out tenfold.  Is it defiant?  Is it hopeless?  Is it a call to arms?  It is shoved in your face?  Is it a warning?   Its all of these things and more.  

The individual performances on this album are absolutely stellar.  Each member is a wrecking ball, each offering a path of destruction.  Following any one performance will guarantee a headbanging good time.  Fortunately, as a band, they are in complete synergy—these guys bleed confidence.  It isn’t cocky if you can back it up, after all. 

The production goes a long way in detailing the performances.  It is mixed perfectly, each instrument can be heard clearly—nothing is fighting for its place in line and that greatly reduces ear strain.  As such, this is a very smooth flowing album despite how abrasive it is.

With nine tracks (eleven counting the bonus track “Beat The Bastards” and vinyl only “Dvided and Demented", both of which my promo came with) and a runtime of just over 35 minutes, it hits the sweet spot for how long a thrash album lasts.  The length allows plenty of depth but also ultimate replay value. 

Musically, it carries an old school sound but it’s wrapped in a modern package.  At no time during this album did I feel the band was re-treading what came before but I also didn’t feel they were trying way too hard.  To me, thrash works best when it still allows melody amongst the speedy rhythms.  “Embrace The Darkness,” is melodic when needed, not going too far but instead using it as another finely tuned weapon in its arsenal.

The opening song, “III.XXIII.MMXX/Embrace The Darkness,” is a one two punch that combines a harrowing intro and the title track into one epic anthem. Richard and Andy’s guitars are fast and super tight—they sound like they are about to snap apart at any moment.  Gareth’s bass is actually interesting and I’m thrilled that I’ve found a thrash album that actually cares about the low end.  Roy Miller’s drums are violent, sharp, and definitely on point to compliment these songs but strong enough keep them from collapsing.  The chorus is catchy and I must compliment Richard’s vocals:  venomous and filled with guile.  At times he reminds me of Chuck Billy, and if that isn’t a compliment then I don’t know what is. 

The galloping riffs of “Virtues” shows the band isn’t content on just barreling through but fully capable of creating huge waves of notes that just steamroll the listener.  The cymbal work makes the song pop and is one of the many ways Miller highlights these songs.  The band is at their best after a blistering solo that leads into a thrash-a-thon and that’s exactly what happens after the halfway point.  

Solitary is adept at building up momentum within in mere seconds, such as with use of the opening guitar squeal and crashing drums on “Beneath The Surface.”  Once they lock in around the 30 second mark, it feels like the band is a force of nature that moves perpetually forward. The groovy riffs that make up yet another catchy chorus stand out immediately and allow for a smooth transition to the more speed induced parts that follow.

“Section 21” is one of my favorites on the album because it doesn’t have any chill.  From the first millisecond to the last ending note, this song rages nonstop.  The vocals, guitars and drums are all having a competition to see who gets to the finish line first.  Who wins?  The listener does because they get to witness totally uncompromising metal.  And how about that solo?  Mind melting.

The aforementioned vinyl only song “Divided and Demented,” is worth the price of admission.  It absolutely smokes, it’s catchy and has an explosive ending.  What more do you want?

The final original song is “Filtering Hindsight,” and its riffs balance themselves between dense rhythms and melodic tinges, especially during the chorus.  Speaking of the chorus, it is MASSIVE and I can just imagine the crowd singing it in unison, fists and devil horns pumping in the air.  

Solitary’s “Embrace The Darkness,” isn’t just a great album for the band but also for the genre itself; albums like this give me hope for thrash metal.