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SOLSTICE COIL - Natural Causes; SOLSTICE COIL - Natural Causes
Topic Started: Aug 24 2011, 10:12 AM (682 Views)
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SOLSTICE COIL
Natural Causes

Melodic Revolution 2011

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Do you know how many albums of Israeli prog come through my door every week? It's mad, so it is. Well, actually, that's a lie. If you take away the Orphaned Land albums, then the total would be [nips off to get calculator], um, one. And this is it. And it's pretty good, actually. "Natural Causes" is the second album by Solstice Coil. Turns out it was actually recorded a couple of years back, following on from their 2005 début, but it's only just coming out.

They've got a new rhythm section in tow, and have forked out the cash for an actual string quartet on a couple of tracks - 'Replacing People' and 'Recipe For Eternity'. They actually teeter on the edge of art rock / post rock, for they have just as many Radiohead influences as they do Dream Theater. Which is a bit of a shame, because when they prog out, they move from the realms of the good into the very good.

I actually found the vocals to be the main weak point, as they're a bit too poppy, in relation to the noise that's going on in the background, but that's a stylistic choice, not a weakness in the vocals, and is something that could be sorted out with ease. Musically, they sit firmly in the camp of melancholia, with the lyrics complementing the sombre tones of most of the music. The best numbers are 'Replacing People', which is their best chance of getting some radio play, and 'Moral Oxidation', which is where the guitars get to shine.

It's a good album, which sometimes falls between two stools. If they concentrated more on the prof, I's be happier, but I was still glad to have heard it.

http://solstice.co.il/
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