LENGSEL - SOLACE (*NEW-CD, 2000, Solid State) Black Metal
Black metal fans, get ready. From the metal scene in Norway, Lengsel has materialized out of the haze to offer a dark and snarled tour through a postmodern metropolis. Lengsel means "longing" or "yearning," but this disc sounds more like anguish and woe. The overpowering rush of the double-bass drum and speed metal guitars is like a car rampaging at high speeds through a crowded downtown area, heedless of the results. The song "Hours" actually contains some bloodcurdling screams. Mixed somewhere into the swell of chaos, the desperate ultra-rasp vocals of Tor Magne S. Glidje (who also plays bass for the band Extol) throw out lyrics that only the trained ear can discern. There are a few calmer moments interspersed throughout the disc, but they only deliver a half-gasp of air before the frenzied venting resumes. Those who are nourished on this stuff will find Solace to be an enjoyable meal. You know who you are. --Israel Button
Tracklist
1 Solace 1:04
2 Revival 6:15
3 Opaque 4:16
4 Hours 7:05
5 Coat Of Arms 5:58
6 Stille Dualisme 5:47
7 The World Monotone 6:20
8 Avmakt 6:34