Solium XI - Litanies Unto Adversity   

Decent enough but has nothing new to add

It doesn’t take a large leap of faith to make the assumption that Solium XI, who hail from Finland, play some kind of black metal. Call it a gross generalisation if you will but as the saying goes, if the shoe fits and all that. In this particular case the style is symphonic black metal with all the requisite nods to the stalwarts of the genre with Emperor and Dimmu Borgir immediately coming to mind. Unlike those whose paths Solium XI attempt to follow however, there is nothing overly challenging or forward thinking in their music like that of Emperor nor is there an over abundance of self indulgent pompousness ala Dimmu Borgir. Instead Solium XI straddles the fence between the two styles and attempts to keep a foot firmly entrenched in each camp.

Litanies Unto Adversity is yet another album in the symphonic black metal zeitgeist that does nothing wrong other than bring nothing new to the table. All of the elements you’d expect to find are present such as the frosty atmosphere, the melodic blasting and a generally unpleasant disposition but, while all of these pieces have been put to reasonable use, the one element that received much more attention than it should have is the band’s penchant for taking the easy route. What sets bands apart from their contemporaries is when they take risks and push their music in interesting and challenging directions. Sadly this doesn’t seem to have even crossed the minds of Solium XI who have stuck true to a well established formula and played it very safe leaving the album without any true grit or bite.

Even though what the band present is hardly original in nature it still has its moments and is genuinely enjoyable for the most part but sadly it is often rather directionless. With a running time of 70 minutes it simply drags on for way too long. There is a dearth of ideas that simply don’t have enough steam to power an album of this length. The tracks end up wandering rather aimlessly looking for something, anything, to happen to allow them to finish up or move to another section. It doesn’t feel like there is a clear goal in mind and the album suffers for it. Had the band shaved a good 20 to 30 minutes off the running time it still would’ve been a safe album but perhaps it would’ve been easier to digest in its entirety.

Like so many other bands out there there’s nothing inherently wrong with what Solium XI do per se, they just don’t do anything particularly challenging or innovative. It’s basically popcorn black metal – while it’s there you’ll eat it but you certainly won’t be savouring it.

(Trinity Music HK)

Added: August 6th 2009
Reviewer: Michael O'Brien
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
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