Band : Apostle Of Solitude
Album Title : Last Sunrise
Label : Eyes Like Snow
Distributor : Clearspot
Release Date : March 2010
Review : CD

Those who did manage to secure a copy of doom merchants Apostle Of Solitude’s debut album Sincerest Misery (read review 4/01/2009) were singing the praises of the quintet, they hail from Indiana, USA and this is their second release on Eyes Like Snow, which is a division of Northern Silence Productions responsible for classic & old school Doom & Heavy Metal releases.
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No symphonic frills or wild style-mixtures here, but heavy crunching doom with great melodies, gripping arrangements that isn’t overly complex, yet contains enough variety and changes frequently enough to avoid any monotony if you enjoy this kind of doom metal. Aside from the mighty Candlemass-aura, Apostle Of Solitude also blend in certain blues rock- and nwobhm-influences..  Tracks like “Letting go off the wheel”, “Sister cruel” and “The coldest love” are all mind-numbing examples of down tempo prime metal at its best. The vocals by Chuck Brown have enough heart and melody to make up for the melodramatic flair that can do this sort of music in if done incorrectly. A melancholic song like “December drives me to tears” remind me of Novembers Doom with its steady pattern and it’s throbbing rhythm driving it, along with the harmony guitar leads above it. It’s really easy for me to feel the maturity of the band in all their compositions, and for sure when you have this kind of feeling, it’s always a very good point. Recommended.

 The European CD edition features three exclusive bonus tracks "Emerald" (Thin Lizzy), "Where Eagles Dare" (Misfits) and "Procreation of the Wicked" (Celtic Frost). The limited 2LP will have six bonus tracks and comes with high quality packaging and heavy, coloured vinyl.

90/100

Cosmicmasseur.