Apostle Of Solitude – Rituals Of The Oak – The Flight Of Sleipnir Split CDEyes Like Snow 2011

1. Apostle Of Solitude – This Mania2. Rituals Of The Oak – Hallward3. The Flight Of Sleipnir – A Legacy Of Iron4. Apostle Of Solitude – Transgressions5. The Flight Of Sleipnir - Draugr

R.T. 49:48

My relationship with Apostle Of Solitude is a combination of love and hate. The reason behind this is their first album “Sincerest Misery”, I liked their first album because it was so honestly old school but I was really annoyed with the song “Last Tears”, that was far too similar to a song from Doomsword’s “Resound The Horn”. That ruined my ability to enjoy the album as I ended trying to find “loans” (I wasn’t able to find more). Here the band contributes with two songs the first one is “This Mania” a song that balances between the sound of the first album and a more modern sound, I liked it. The second song is “Transgressions”, a slower, darker and more epic sounding song that brings in mind the slower moments of The Gates Of Slumber with a less brutal but more melancholic and desolate feel.

The second band here is coming from Australia and they are called Ritual Of The Oak. They play slow, epic and - justifying their name – ritualistic doom metal. The song they play here is titled “Hallward”, they have a female singer and I could see some similarities with bands like Jex Thoth in the musical field, with the band sounding less pagan than Jex Thoth but more mystical and arcane. I could give them a chance when their new album will be released next year.

The last band here is The Flight Of Sleipnir and as you can gues by their name (Sleipnir is Odin’s horse) they play a form of Viking doom metal. The first of the two songs they offer us is titled “A Legacy Of Iron”, the band sounds very epic and in contrast with most bands in the same subgenre that base their sound on Bathory, they are closer to While Heaven Wept resulting to a sound softer and more melancholic than the usual more brutal and primitive approach. The second song “Draugr” moves in the same direction as the first one, only darker, great song and possibly a future classic. Anyone into epic doom try to find their previous albums and their new 2011 release “Essence Of Nine”.