Although the bandname Bride To Solace only popped up for the first time when the Budapest based Hungarian Metalcore act released their 2003 debut album Of Hope And Bitterness on German label Let It Burn Records, the musicians behind that name had been building their career for three years previous!

Founded as Joy’s Pride in 2000 by the initial trio of guitarist Krisztián Alberti, bassist László Sztojka, and drummer Tamás Kuttner, the line-up was soon enlarged by the addition of second guitarist Adan Felligi and singer Zoltán Jacab, both formerly of Newborn (where Felligi actually played the drums). This quintet honed their skills in the rehearsal room for quite a while, as they did their premiere show on November 18, 2002…and that as support to none less than Bane! Live promotion for the debut album started with a European tour allied to Germany’s Paint The Town Red and Holland’s Razor Crusade. Later in 2003 the Hungarian band was out on European roads again for a week’s touring with Walls Of  Jericho! Strong beginnings for a young act, and in fact the perfect basis to make for a large cult following...and meanwhile BTS have grown to one of the most popular bands in their genre in their home country.

Slated next was a split release with California’s A.18, but that didn’t work out in the end! 2004 opened quite explosively for the band, opening for both Cradle Of Filth and Testament on the shows those bands played in Budapest…and BTS also being featured on the Sziget festival. In September the 5-track Kingdom Of The Dead EP was issued, which saw live prromotion with a European tour allying the band to Nothing Gold Can Stay. Additional live dates came in April 2005, the band supporting The Undying. Upon finishing those shows, Alberti chose to retire from the BTS equasion, the band finding replacement in guitarist Bálint Szollár.

The new quintet now signed to Dutch quality Hardcore label GSR Music for the Spring 2006 release of their sophomore album Where Nightmares And Dreams Unite (review by collegue Trik posted on 18/09/2006). Following shows with Sweden’s Raised Fist, the band continued the promotion of the album sharing stages with Finland’s Endstand throughout July, and another performance at the Sziget festival, where regrettably one of the boys hurt his ankle so badly several planned shows in August had to be cancelled. In the Fall the guys were back, undertaking an Hungarian tour with their buddies from Watch My Dying. Followed the band’s first trip to Belgrade (Serbia), and a (long) weekend trip to Italy and Switzerland in late November/ early December. By that time a covers Hardcore side-project named Go! The Project had been started up by Felligi with bassist Peti Laszko from Zero Tolerance, guitarist Laci Herczeg (from another side-project of Felligi’s, called In Times Of War, but also of Sedative Bang and Sunday Fury), and Tibor Szalkai (ex-Newborn collegue playing with The Idoru and Blind Myself). Early March 2007 came with the news that the band’s sophomore album was finally released in Hungary through local label CLS Records, that a first video clip had been filmed, that the band had finally started their own website bridgetosolace.org, and that BTS was going out on another European tour…this time three weeks in support of Raging Speedhorn and Twelve Tribes (including a performance at Belgium’s Durbuy Rock Festival) in May. Following that tour, the band took some time off…needed badly due to touring fatigue…and also took some necessary hard decisions! Bottom line, they parted amically from their drummer, and put Felligi on his spot. Not a crazy choice, considering he used to play the drums already with his former band Newborn. To fill the void on guitar, the choice fell on longtime friend Péter Kámán from the band Embers. The renewed BTS played its first show in Budapest on October 18, after which a Hungarian tour followed with The Idoru and Penalty Kick. After that…a long time of apparent inactivity! Which the band spent re-inventing itself, as having Felligi on the drums opened up those evolutionary possibilities the band had wanted to work on. The guys eventually took over the Trailtown Studios in Switzerland’s Zug during July of 2008. The recordings were then sent off to Blair Calibaba and Paul Forgues at Vogville Studios in Vancouver (Canada) for mixing & mastering during August & September.

Now, although this is my introduction to the band’s music and I cannot therefore start making comparisons to the band’s older material, I daresay the end result is one BTS can be proud of! While on the one hand being quite ferocious and technical (also playing the occasional counter-rhythmic passages as well), the boys have succeeded in incorporating a fair amount of melody and enchanting guitar work in the whole…and a good portion of darkness with their socio-politically influenced lyrics!  As the bio sheet chatter puts it, “…with each track on House Of the Dying Sun Bridge To Solace paint a masterpiece of beauty and melody mixed with cruel ugliness, despair and juxtaposing rhythms that pull you in opposite directions tearing you apart. In a world that is proving to grow uglier and harder to live in with each passing day, these 10 songs give everyone the chance to ampathize with the twisted vision of Bridge To Solace and share their dark and melancholic side with their hope and expectation of a better world…”. The whole topped with the singer’s typical Hardcore vocals! Actually, while the label is ready to recommend the album to fans of Metalcore brought by the likes of Killswitch  Engage, As I Lay Dying, Trivium, Unearth, and Parkway Drive (hah, what label would nót want one of its bands to be loved by the horde of fans of those million-selling acts, eh?), I surmise that overall the sound on this BTS album is closer to Hardcore than to the Metal-infused commercialized material of the aforementioned! Check out the two songs (off the current album) at myspace.com/bridgetosolace, and make up your own mind! Ach, before I forget…there’s actually 11 tracks on the album: after album closing song “The Young And The Restless” (which is listed as having a length of 8:29, but in fact only lasts 4:46) there’s about 45 seconds of silence, followed by a calmer hidden instrumental.

As far as I’m personally concerned, I prefer BTS the way they àre, rather than what they could be likened to! As things stand, BTS has a sound somewhat uniquely their own…and when puch comes to shove, I prefer originality above copycat-ism! I won’t go as far as to put the album in my year-lists, as it needs too many additional listening sessions I simply cannot aford to give it (due to the job pressure I’m under – there’s still só many other releases awaiting this over-worked music journalist’s attention). However, I’m sure it’ll find its way into the lists of many Metalcore lovers with a less stressful life than myself.

90/100

Tony.