SOLEFALD PILLS AGAINST THE AGELESS ILLS
Century Media 2001
By Rodrigo
This year has brought albums from bands like Emperor, And Oceans and Sigh that have pushed the boundary of what black metal is supposed to sound like. Solefald is the next band that pushes the limits of the genre into exciting and bold new directions. Pills Against the Ageless Ills is Solefalds Century Media debut and band members Cornelius and Lazare have come out with a more straight forward approach than in the past yet still making an album that few would dare try.
Pills Against the Ageless Ills is a concept album based on the tragic life of brothers Philosopher Fuck and Pornographer Cain. Each band member takes the personification of one of the brothers. Corneliuss singing is harsh while Lazares is more melodic and at times he reminds me of Warrel Dane of Nevermore. The contrast of the distinct styles of singing enhances the narration of the story and the differences between Fuck and Cain.
"Charge of Total Affect" works perfectly in establishing and differentiating the two brothers. The song starts out fast and heavy (the pace reminds me of songs from And Oceans last album) with a very cool piano melody and it changes to a slower pace. Throughout the song these changes are present in different fashions. One of the greatest parts of this song is when the Hammond organ jumps in at 2:44. "Hyperhuman" is one of the more straightforward songs from the album. Its a fast song that once again showcases the different singing styles. In just the first minute of this opening song, the listener knows he is in for an extremely wild ride with Pills Against the Ageless Ills. "Pornographer Cain" is a slower song with great bass work as well as really good use of the synthesizers. A real cool part starts at 3:20 with the bass work leading the song and the drums and synthesizers casually interject it. Later on there is a faster paced version of this same segment. "The USA Dont Exist" is another excellent fast paced and straightforward song (to Solefalds standards). At first it starts out real heavy with the guitars but the next section just features the melodic clean singing with the synthesizers providing the music. The chorus with the repetition of its title is extremely catchy. Another great song is "Anti-City Strategy" with its organ introduction and extremely cool piano work throughout its entirety.
About the only negative I have about Pills Against the Ageless Ills is that by coming out so late in the year some of the musical ideas that are being explored were realized in earlier releases from this year by other bands. So at times one might say that they have heard some of the things going on in this album.
Despite this negative comment, Pills Against the Ageless Ills is still an exciting release and Solefald deserve credit for what they accomplished with it. The story itself is something quite unique and I encourage you to read through it a couple of times.
Century Media Website
Solefald Official Website
Century Media 2001
By Rodrigo
This year has brought albums from bands like Emperor, And Oceans and Sigh that have pushed the boundary of what black metal is supposed to sound like. Solefald is the next band that pushes the limits of the genre into exciting and bold new directions. Pills Against the Ageless Ills is Solefalds Century Media debut and band members Cornelius and Lazare have come out with a more straight forward approach than in the past yet still making an album that few would dare try.
Pills Against the Ageless Ills is a concept album based on the tragic life of brothers Philosopher Fuck and Pornographer Cain. Each band member takes the personification of one of the brothers. Corneliuss singing is harsh while Lazares is more melodic and at times he reminds me of Warrel Dane of Nevermore. The contrast of the distinct styles of singing enhances the narration of the story and the differences between Fuck and Cain.
"Charge of Total Affect" works perfectly in establishing and differentiating the two brothers. The song starts out fast and heavy (the pace reminds me of songs from And Oceans last album) with a very cool piano melody and it changes to a slower pace. Throughout the song these changes are present in different fashions. One of the greatest parts of this song is when the Hammond organ jumps in at 2:44. "Hyperhuman" is one of the more straightforward songs from the album. Its a fast song that once again showcases the different singing styles. In just the first minute of this opening song, the listener knows he is in for an extremely wild ride with Pills Against the Ageless Ills. "Pornographer Cain" is a slower song with great bass work as well as really good use of the synthesizers. A real cool part starts at 3:20 with the bass work leading the song and the drums and synthesizers casually interject it. Later on there is a faster paced version of this same segment. "The USA Dont Exist" is another excellent fast paced and straightforward song (to Solefalds standards). At first it starts out real heavy with the guitars but the next section just features the melodic clean singing with the synthesizers providing the music. The chorus with the repetition of its title is extremely catchy. Another great song is "Anti-City Strategy" with its organ introduction and extremely cool piano work throughout its entirety.
About the only negative I have about Pills Against the Ageless Ills is that by coming out so late in the year some of the musical ideas that are being explored were realized in earlier releases from this year by other bands. So at times one might say that they have heard some of the things going on in this album.
Despite this negative comment, Pills Against the Ageless Ills is still an exciting release and Solefald deserve credit for what they accomplished with it. The story itself is something quite unique and I encourage you to read through it a couple of times.
Century Media Website
Solefald Official Website
