Solace (Lengsel album)

Infobox Album
Name = Solace
Type = Album
Artist = Lengsel


Released = 2000
Genre = Unblack metal
Length = 43:25
Label = Endtime Productions, Solid State Records, Black Sun Records
Producer = Samuel Durlig
Reviews =
* The Phantom Tollbooth Rating|4|5 [http://www.tollbooth.org/2000/reviews/lengsel.html link]
Last album = "Lengsel" (1997)
This album = "Solace" (2000)
Next album = "The Kiss, The Hope" (2006)

"Solace" is the first full length album by the Norwegian metal band Lengsel. An renowned and acclaimed album, "Solace" initially released on Endtime Productions as a digipak edition in 2000. Around this time the vocalist and guitarist was also a bass player for the fellow Norwegian band Extol, who had at the time become an immensely popular band on the American label Tooth and Nail Records' imprint, Solid State Records. Label owner Brandon Ebel licenced "Solace" for Solid State, marketing it with stickers on the album cover stating that it includes members of Extol. The album was also lisenced for the German label Black Sun Records.

Sonically, the album empasizes on the melodic Scandinavian school of black metal. The overall output is characterized by walls of rich, chaotic sounds, hypnotic, cold atmosphere, subdued keyboards underneath the distortion and delicate acoustic passages. The vocals are not typical for black metal, taking a more mid-range rasp rather than guttural shrieks or growls, balancing it with occasional clean vocals. The lyrics deal with themes of longing, poetic ponderings on spiritual struggles.

The album was criticized for a somewhat obscure, thin production, although several critics gave it good reviews.

Track listing

#"Solace" - 1:04
#"Revival" - 6:15
#"Opaque" - 4:16
#"Hours" - 7:05
#"Coat of Arms" - 5:58
#"Stille Dualisme" - 5:47
#"The World Monotone" - 6:20
#"Avmakt" - 6:34

Production Credits

* Recorded at Endless Studios by Lengsel.
* Executive producer: Samuel Durlig.
* Produced by Lengsel.
* Engineered by Tore Ylwisaker.
* Mixed at Fagerborg Studio by Børge Finstad, Tore Ylwisaker and Lengsel, track #4 mixed at Endless.
* Mastered at The Mastering Room.
* Art direction by Durling Inc GBG, Cover painting by Marie Sveen Sthaal, Photos by Wreland STHLM.
* All keyboards and acoustic guitars recorded by Ole Halvard Sveen. [ [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=4867 Solace at the Metal Archives] ]

References