Trhliny v (ne)skutočnosti

Solipsism is a three members band from Slovakia, formed in 2018 and Trhliny v (ne)skutočnosti is their first and sole release until now. This release is one of those ones that Sun & Moon records from Romania, likes to present to the world, that is obscure, sophisticated Black Metal from small scenes around the world and that is one of the reasons i like this label. So, Trhliny v (ne)skutočnosti was released in 15^th of March of 2020 in digital and in a very nice digipack cd format, limited in 500 copies. The very beautiful cover, as also the logo’s design may give you the impression that the band belongs into the occult doom genre. That is not the case here, as you will come across a nice, balanced mixture of melancholic and violent Black Metal, devoted to the Scandinavian sound.

The first track is an acoustic, melodic and melancholic intro which want to set the dark scenery and transmit the ugly, unpleasant feelings that will come across throughout the entire EP in various forms. The music that Solipsism present is a well balanced depressive – hateful Black Metal following the Scandinavian legacy. The riffs vary from medium, rhythmic, tremolo, melodic ones expressing more depressive feelings and in some parts reminded me of Xasthur and Nocturnal Depression. The fast ones are hateful, warlike ones that may remind you the style of Marduk and generally that warlike, hateful style. There are moments where the band uses acoustic guitar and keyboards with piano – like sound, which give a more melancholic, even romantic approach to to compositions. The tracks last from four to nine minutes and their structure is not always forgiving. There is variation concerning the melodies, the riffing and the rhythm but that’s not always successful, as there are moments that a melody or a riff is executed longer than it should, resulting in becoming tedious.

The performance of the musicians is absolutely professional. The guitars have a massive, clean sound and they present the riffs with accuracy and very good technique. The bass isn’t audible and i think this is happening because of the muffed sound of the production. The drums also sound quite flat and muffed but their lines are interesting and their performance stable and passionate. The vocals are harsh Black Metal vocals which become deeper in some parts depending on the feeling expressed. However, most of the times they are monotonous and repetitive, they become tedious too soon. As I mentioned above, the production offers a muffed and quite flat sound that sometimes you can’t even listen to the riff. The mixture has highlighted the keyboards, whenever they appear, and there is a good balance between the rest of the instruments and vocals, except for the bass which is buried and almost inaudible. The lyrics are written in Slovakian and they are contained in the 12 page booklet. I don’t know exactly what they are about, but by the bad translation of google translate, they speak about life, the soul, the past, all these expressed under a melancholic, even depressive perspective.

I have to admit that i have mixed thoughts about the first Solipsism effort. On one hand, there are some very nice ideas, beautifully presented and the performance of the musicians is flawless. On the other hand, the first thing that bothered me is the sound that it really decreases the quality of the songs. I also felt that some of the chosen to be included ideas, should not have been used. Generally, i feel that Trhliny v (ne)skutočnosti is a nice album to listen but there is nothing special about it that will hook you and want to listen it again and again. You can listen to it, but certainly listen to it before you buy it.