Hailing from my old college stomping grounds in Kansas City, Missouri, Solace and Stable are a group of young tech metallers cut from the same cloth as bands like Between the Buried and Me, Woe of Tyrants, The Demonstration, Conducting from the Grave, With Passion and such; they play a form of shred filled, melodic metalcore/deathcore/ progressive metal and to further cement their influences their second effort was mastered by Jamie King, so should know exactly what you are getting.

Despite their apparent youth, Solace and Stable is incredibly competent and confident in their chosen style, even if it is a style that probably peaked 3-5 years ago, and truth be told, had this graced my ears in that time range, I would have gushed over it childishly. But as it stands, even Between the Buried and Me have lost their luster with their last EP and new song, so Solace and Stable, while very enjoyable and incredibly proficient, are the victim of genre saturation. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this record a lot. It’s chock full of lots of great Paul Waggoner-y sweeps, techy time changes and jack hammer scatter shot percussion, gruff growled/shouted vocals and of course, a crisp, clean production.

The opening title track pretty much sets the bar for the rest of the album, with a really nice attention getting BTBAM styled sweep and blast combo that highlights the bands skill set and ability to shift from chaotic metalcore to nice melodies and of course, breakdowns, on a dime.   And while I love the sweeps and solos that litter each track (notably “American Beauty”, “Transcending Obstructions”, “The Hollow Present” ) the music in between is often as enjoyable even if being a rigid mix of the aforementioned breakdowns, blasts and choppy riffs.  The fierce duo of “The Apparatus” and “Volatile” show the band can crank up the intensity, while still shredding. The only missing piece is a little pacing/control or perfectly written endnote or slower number to close the album out a little more succinctly rather than the balls out “Solstice”.

Solace and Stable are absolutely worth checking out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Strikefirst or Facedown Records snatched these guys up soon, (they are Christian, but it’s never really forced in the music) as they are as good as any band currently on either roster with the exception of Your Memorial.

[Visit the band's website]

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