Solitude Aeturnus' first album,
Into the Depths of Sorrow, arrived at a time -- 1991 -- when American doom metal was finally earning some measure of recognition, thanks to the previously underappreciated work of homegrown champions like
Trouble,
Saint Vitus, and
the Obsessed -- but, ironically, the Texas band's primary influence actually hailed from Sweden! Indeed,
Solitude Aeturnus had originally been named simply "
Solitude" by founding guitarist
John Perez, based on the popular track from
Candlemass' classic 1986 debut,
Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, and so sonic similarities included the operatic vocals of
Robert Lowe and the way epic-sized songs like
"Opaque Divinity" and
"Transcending Sentinels" alternated typically ponderous doom passages with galloping tempos and even speedy thrash metal bursts. Nevertheless,
Solitude Aeturnus' own songwriting acumen within these parameters quickly proved the old dictum that too much of a good thing is rarely a bad thing, thanks to additional creative high watermarks such as
"Dream of Immortality," the evocative
"White Ship," and the sublimely somber
"Mirror of Sorrow." Some listeners may have felt that these songs dragged on for little longer than necessary at times, but not those who took note of the consistently stellar guitar solos traded between
Perez and fellow six-stringer
Edgar Rivera. And even though the "American
Candlemass" tag would ultimately haunt
Solitude Aeturnus throughout their career,
Into the Depths of Sorrow received enthusiastic blessings from the bulk of doom enthusiasts for the many worthy qualities of its own. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
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