The Brink by Solace

In 1996, New Jersey's Solace rose from the ashes of Atlantic Records alumni Godspeed, a new entity driven by hardcore-energized metal riffage with anthemic vocals and a crushing doom underbelly.

Solace issued slabs of ferocious, driven heaviness every few years, beginning with 2000's 'Further,' an album Metal Maniacs called "a punchy, aggressive stormride swarmed full of shadowy, melodic fume" and CMJ called, "wicked and devastatingly heavy."

This was followed in 2003 by '13,' which highlighted their evolving songwriting while solidifying their hardcore-meets-metal-meets-doom approach. Terrorizer characterized it as:

"Beauty and menace grapple jealously, each attempting to wrestle control of the proceedings. Dripping in quaking doom riffs and vibrant leads while variety is quick-paced. It's immense, and the diversity and creativity grow stronger with every spin as new dimensions come to light."

A pair of EPs in 2005 and 2007 plus slots at the coveted Roadburn Fest in 2006 and 2009 kept momentum going, culminating in Solace's 2010 milestone, 'A.D.' The titanic offering was the band's most fully-realized achievement, a record the All Music Guide called, "a six-string maelstrom" and "a guitar album through and through -- even by the standards of this genre," and which made the iTunes Top 10 Metal Records of the year alongside High on Fire.

With various members battling personal demons, the next few years saw Solace draw back and regroup. But with a reconstructed lineup and returning stronger than ever, Solace emerged with a monster cover of "In The Flesh" on Magnetic Eye Records' 'The Wall [Redux]' in 2018. At the same time, they began showing up on festivals like Descendants of Crom, Maryland Doom Fest, Vultures of Volume, and the New England Stoner and Doom Fest. At long last, the time had come for a new album.

In the final month of 2019, Solace return with 'The Brink.' Embracing a NWOBHM dual-guitar attack more completely than ever before, the 11-song 2LP likewise maintains a death grip on the band's trademark volatility and sonic roots.

As the world stands at the edge of another uncertain decade, we can all rejoice as the weighty, exquisite bombast of 'The Brink' reasserts the dominance of New Jersey's godfathers of dirt metal glory.