Posted in Whathaveyou on July 10th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Once upon a time on the internet — I don’t know when, but it was years ago — I was talking about Solitude Aeturnus as a band who I thought had more to say. Another album in them, maybe more shows. A reunion. Something to follow-up their 2006 record, Alone, which it’s only unfair to call a joy because it was so pointedly downhearted. Founding guitarist John Perez has been jamming with his psych band Liquid Sound Company, and they released a record in 2021 (review here), but other than reissues, the classic Texas doom metal outfit haven’t had a new full-length in 17 years. And whenever this on-social-media conversation took place and I was answering some question or whatever it was, I said I thought Solitude Aeturnus were underrated and had more to offer.
Well, some dude on the internet — I don’t know who — decided he was gonna be a dude on the internet and put me in my place. A reunion could never happen. No chance. The members would never get back together in any form and the band was done once and for all.
Again, I don’t know who that was, or when it was, or even why — fairly certain I didn’t respond to the comment — but as I look at Solitude Aeturnus coming back with the lineup that made 1991’s pioneering Into the Depths of Sorrow, there sure is one more person out there in the world, somewhere, somewhen, who can kiss my ass.
Solitude Aeturnus play Hell’s Heroes VI in March 2024. And yeah, that’s a long time from now and a lot can happen between now and then, but that they’d even book it — the band also have a podcast, so there’s been activity around them if not from them in the sense of their putting out or playing music — indicates that at least on some level they also think they have more in them. So yeah. Pucker up, whoever it was.
From Solitude Aeturnus‘ website and social media:
Attention metal music enthusiasts! We have some special news for you all! Get ready to rock as Solitude Aeturnus takes the stage at the legendary Hell’s Heroes VI Festival! Join us at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall for a mind-blowing night of pure doom metal madness!
Experience the power of Solitude Aeturnus as they unleash a setlist filled with classic hits. This unique lineup features all the original band members from their very first release, “Into The Depths of Sorrow.” This show promises an unforgettable evening where gloom reigns supreme, and the essence of solitude takes you on an Aethereal journey.
Says John Perez: “This is one of the, if not THE premier metal festival in the Unites States and I can tell you that its going to be HEAVY! This show will feature the classic line up of Robert Lowe , John Covington, Lyle Blackburn and Edgar Rivera. We also have Steve Moseley still with us making this unique show a triple doom axe attack! Looking forward to dusting off the catalog and bringing the HEAVY to Houston! Get your tickets soon as this will sell out no doubt!”
Secure your spot now for the 3-day Hell’s Heroes VI metal festival in March 2024. Witness Solitude Aeturnus in their element and let their music engulf you in a dark symphony you won’t soon forget!
Solitude Aeturnus, Beyond the Crimson Horizon (1992)
It’s like staring into the very gates of doom itself. Solitude Aeturnus weren’t the first American doom band, but they were definitely among the earlier pioneers Stateside playing doom metal, and when it came to the second part of that equation, they offered it in abundance. With heavy influences from Candlemass, Trouble and of course Black Sabbath, the Arlington, Texas, five-piece got their start with a well-received demo in 1989 before signing to what was then Roadracer Records — soon to be Roadrunner Records — for the subsequent 1991 full-length, Into the Depths of Sorrow. From where I sit, that record is also a classic, but the 1992 follow-up, Beyond the Crimson Horizon, is widely hailed as both their pinnacle work and as a standard-bearer in US doom. Aside from the massive influence it would have on the development of metal, doom and heavy rock in Texas’ own fertile underground, it’s a record that helped clearly demonstrate that American outfits could capture the same kind of majesty their European counterparts had been bringing to the style for years in the wake of Candlemass‘ Messiah Marcolin era, which by then had hit its peak several years before. I’ll gladly argue that not only did Beneath the Crimson Horizon prove this thesis, but it showed a path by which that influence could lead to individualized growth and progression, that doom — that slowest and most morose of metals — need not stagnate or lack energy to be effective in its atmosphere.
Not only that, but Beyond the Crimson Horizon gave outlet to influences from the NWOBHM in cuts like opener “Seeds of the Desolate” and immediately met them head on with grittier chugging in “Black Castle,” setting up a dynamic that would continue to play out across its span. It wasn’t any more afraid to thrash out in the second half of “The Hourglass” than it was to directly confront the march of Candlemass‘ “Mirror Mirror” in the preceding “It Came upon One Night,” a seven-minute highlight of the record distinguished by its epic flourish of gong and spoken vocals from otherwise soar-prone frontman Robert Lowe, who would remain a defining presence in Solitude Aeturnus for their duration along with guitarist John Perez. Both shine in these tracks, it should go without saying, but the drumming of John Covington, the guitar of Edgar Rivera and Lyle Steadham‘s bass aren’t to be discounted either, as much as the latter might be mixed down as was the wont of the era. For what was still just their second album since forming in 1987, Solitude Aeturnus presented themselves as a complete, cohesive unit with the poise and confidence to execute their material in the face of otherwise-leaning trends both in and out of the underground and metal as a whole. To listen to a song like the Trouble-style “The Final Sin” or the penultimate chugger “Plague of Procreation,” one can hear the band’s reach expanding even as the tracklist makes its way from front to back, but at no point do Solitude Aeturnus relinquish their hold on a melodic sensibility or crushing atmosphere, the latter shown by the Metallica-esque stomp in the midsection of “Plague of Perception.” They would save the slowest and most grueling nod for last in the closing semi-title-track “Beyond…” and add suitable funeral bells over a long fade that dirge-plodded the record to its finish.
Dramatic? Oh yeah. Of its era? Most definitely — but also a blueprint from which future US doom metal would be and still is derived, either directly or indirectly. With Perez and Lowe as its founding anchors, Solitude Aeturnus would go on to issue Through the Darkest Hour in 1994 before embracing more of a groove metal feel on 1996’s Downfall and 1998’s Adagio, and a 2000 EP titled Justice for All would be their final release until 2006 brought a return both of the band generally and of their classically doomed form on the righteous Alone, which was offered through Massacre Records and topped an hour of prime darkened reveries that showed Solitude Aeturnus‘ core approach was not just still relevant, but vital in Texas metal and the wider sphere of what doom had become and was about to become in the social media age. Alone was followed by a 2009 live record titled Hour of Despair and the 2011 In Times of Solitude compilation, and Poland’s Metal Mind Productions had done a series of maybe-licensed reissues of Solitude Aeturnus‘ material, including Beyond the Crimson Horizon, in 2006, but as essential as Alone found Solitude Aeturnus to be, it hasn’t received a proper follow-up in the 11 years since. Perez works as a tour manager — he’s been out with Saint Vitus and Venom Inc. and recently accompanied Candlemass on the road — and Lowe did a stint in Candlemass from 2006 through 2012 after their fallout with Messiah Marcolin, but Solitude Aeturnus has languished, their final album (to-date) a testament to what Perez and Lowe could still accomplish if they decided to move forward with a new batch of material. One continues to hope that at some point they do.
Doom on and enjoy Beyond the Crimson Horizon. Thanks for reading, as always.
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This was a four-day week for me and it was still too long by at least a day. Possibly two days. My work situation has devolved to the point where in about an hour when I go to the office I’ll be bringing my cheapie tablet with me in order to spend the bulk of the day playing and maybe even finishing Final Fantasy V. I took Monday off for a doctor’s appointment and since Tuesday have basically spent the days reading downloaded Shatnerverse ebooks and listening to baseball games (Tigers vs. Angels yesterday was a good time unless you’re a Tigers fan). Sounds like paradise except for existing in a cubicle. They’re still paying me until next Friday though, so I’ll be there.
Whatever. It’s almost over.
Then it’s back to being broke. How’re we gonna pay the mortgage? How’re we gonna pay the oil? How’re we gonna feed this baby? And so on. All completely valid questions, by the way, and the only reason I didn’t include the tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of student loan debt The Patient Mrs. and I share between us is because it makes me too sad and/or panicky to think about it. So yeah. Back to that.
But at least I won’t be going to an office anymore. Losing two hours every day to a commute. Missing out on life in the meantime. More time to write. More time with the Little Dog Dio. Time with The Pecan when he arrives in October. All of that is good. Will be good.
Five workdays left.
Plenty of Obelisk stuff to keep me busy in the meantime. Here’s what’s in the notes for next week, subject to change of course:
Mon.: Top 20 of 2017 So Far; BardSpec video.
Tue.: Radio Adds; The Necromancers video premiere.
Wed.: Lee Van Cleef Six Dumb Questions; Witch Charmer video.
Thu.: Destroyer of Light track premiere; Wren video.
Fri.: Abrams Six Dumb Questions; hopefully some other audio premiere or review.
That’s about where we’re at. Put my head down, keep writing. Everything else is distraction.
I hope you have a great and safe weekend, whatever you might be up to. I’ll be in Connecticut tonight and tomorrow and then back to Massachusetts on Sunday. I have some travel coming up in the next few weeks — Maryland for a wedding next weekend, then down to North Carolina, then back up to New Jersey before finally heading back home; family stuff all — so it will be a bit of an adventure coming up, but I’m looking forward to getting through next week and getting to it. I’m sure we’ll have some fun in the meantime.
Thanks again for reading, and please check out the forum and radio stream.
Posted in Whathaveyou on July 16th, 2010 by JJ Koczan
As one of the foremost originators in American doom, a huge supporter of Texas heavy metal and the dude who’s going to put out the record on his Brainticket Records label, it’s maybe not so much of a surprise that John Perez would show up on Sine Qua Non, the new album from Dallas‘ Elliott’s Keep. Nonetheless, it’s happy news, and as Elliott’s Keep guitarist Jonathan Bates informs, progress on the album is moving right along.
He sends along the following:
John Perez, doom lord of Solitude Aeturnus, has recorded a guitar solo for the new Elliott’s Keep album, Sine Qua Non. Sunday, John joined us at Nomad Studios, where we have been tracking the new record, to lay down a solo on the song “Shades of Disgrace.”
As an update about the recording of Sine Qua Non, with the completion of the bass tracking Sunday, all of the music has been recorded. Vocal tracking will get underway in a series of sessions which should commence in a week or so.
I’ve been getting emails with blank comments in them, and only just now thought that, hmm, since there’s been a bunch of nothing comments and no real ones, maybe something’s wrong. Genius. Anyway, it’s fixed now and the comments are working again. Sorry about that. Have at it, and thanks. Here’s a killer Solitude Aeturnus video to show my appreciation (they’re currently working on new material):
He sends along the following:
