These Frenchmen known as Solekahn have been on quite a long hiatus since their 2004 debut album ‘The Great Divider’ hit planet Earth. For at least six of the last few years in fact, the band has been perfecting material for their sophomore ‘Nightlights’ to “achieve a worthy follow up”, in the words of guitarist/bassist/vocalist Olivier DB. By all accounts that previous statement created quite some ripples in the metal community upon its release. For whatever reason, I managed to miss out on Solekahn in their initial phase of activity, so it was with equal parts curiosity and interest that I accepted the challenge of trying to get to grips with them circa 2013.
Opener ‘Haste to Decline’ initially pummels away in obscure fashion; all murky blasting, warped riffs and odd time changes to invoke a scene of trusty occultism. The early attack – with harsh vocals smeared on top – is extremely dense, just broken by a parting blast of cello which, in context, is as unexpected as it sounds. More significantly, it is the first indication that Solekahn are not the straight forward abomination I had them pegged as. ‘Silence Until Chaos’ resumes the extreme metal intensity before going down a path reminiscent of Nachtmystium’s more Killing Joke-tinged experiments, with open strings and simplistic groove carrying you away. Beyond this, in the same track, we are also met with a very effective dirge part and then twisted melodies with clean vocals at the end. Equally worth a mention is the cinematic section a few minutes in, with its closing door, heavy breathing and wind completing this nine minute menagerie of sound.
As the album progresses, it stays true to early form by continuing to twist and confound. From backwards chanting and funky, swaggering riffs (title track ‘Nightlights’) to freakish harmonies (‘As Raw Hell’) and mystic Eastern-sounding sections (‘Underestimate and Fail’), Solekahn throw in a bit of everything. There are some conventionally very cool metal passages to get down to within each composition but the band seldom dwells on one particular style long enough for the listener to really settle in. It is a deliberately disorientating approach which definitely takes the right mood and an open mind to engage with, shifting as it does: one minute swinging, the next stop-start; occasionally metal, sometimes not. With closing track ‘Separate Part, Separate Art’, things take a particularly dramatic turn, like some form of extreme metal experimental theatre. Unfortunately that second clause – ‘… Separate Art’ – sums up my attitude to a few aspects here.
By the end, I can’t help feeling that the album tries too hard to defy conventions. While obviously this attempt is part of Solekahn’s approach, I just haven’t been able to connect with the entirety of ‘Nightlights’ in an authentic way – especially as I’ve tried persevering with it after tiring days at work. Inevitably the band’s hybrid form will appeal to metal’s more eclectic devotees, and to them I recommend checking out Solekahn. From my fatigued, simple and subjective point of view however, ‘Nightlights’ has proven more of a frustrating than rewarding experience. Désolé, mais c’est…
(6/10 Jamie)
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