Band:	Solution .45
Album:	For Aeons Past
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	April 2010

01. The Close Beyond
02. Gravitational Lensing
03. Through Night-Kingdomed Gates
04. For Aeons Past
05. Lethean Tears
06. Bladed Vaults
07. Wirethrone
08. On Embered Fields Adust
09. Into Shadow
10. Clandestinity Now
11. Spirit Side Dreaming [Japanese bonus]

Melodic death metal
Sweden
AFM Records

Line-up on the CD:
Christian Älvestam - vocals
Tom Gardiner - guitars
Jani Stefanovic - guitars
Anders Edlund - bass
Mikko Härkin - keyboards
Rolf Pilve - drums


Torchbearer, Miseration, Incapacity, The Few Against Many, formerly Scar Symmetry, and now Solution .45. Needless to say, Christian Älvestam is obviously a very busy man.

One might be so inclined as to call him a genius. What For Aeons Past proves, if anything, is that Älvestam may well be one of the most talented vocalists still contributing to the scene, but even a voice this strong can't save an album from incredibly generic guitar leads, conventional song structures, monotonous drumming, subdued keyboard passages... Basically this album is Sweden's demonstration of how a lack of musical prowess can cripple an otherwise monumental performance on behalf of a multi-dimensional vocalist. Think Geddy Lee in front of Diminished with archetypal melodies.

Ya, that crippling.

Älvestam and his cohorts are so far apart in terms of musical proficiency I can't even begin to imagine how this band was labeled a supergroup. Usually such distinctions are bestowed upon bands that are comprised of a handful of established musicians. The problem with Solution .45 is that the only member deserving of praise for his efforts is the vocalist - the rest of the musicians can't keep up playing follow the leader and fade into obscurity before the third track gets under way.

Don't get me wrong - For Aeons Past is filled with energy, carried by Pilve's rapid pace (monotonous, but rapid) behind the kit and extremely catchy with its semi-Natural Born Chaos chugging worship, an added aggression that doesn't exactly buoy Älvestam's talent, but even with the extremity factor the music on this release is too neutral.

Oh, and then of course there's everybody's favorite song: "Clandestinity Now". An indisputable beast of a closer, this is what the band should have focused on creating throughout the entire album. Again the musicianship is anything but outstanding, but the instruments seem to work with Älvestam this time around - a bit late considering it's the final track on the album.

With this much room for improvement, it's hard to say what Älvestam will do. Both Mikko Härkin and Jani Stefanovic are out, and Patrik Gardberg is in (surprise - he plays in Torchbearer and The Few Against Many with Älvestam, so don't expect much of a change).

Either everyone goes back to the drawing board, or everyone simply goes home. These over-sugared melodic death metal outfits can no longer survive off the "celebrity" status of a single member anymore, even with the guarantee of several followers blindly deeming every release of said celebrity a masterpiece. There needs to be cohesion, that little thing called teamwork, for an album to make a lasting impression on a metal community with ever-rising standards.

We are oft to blame in this, ?
'Tis too much prov'd, ? that with devotion's visage,
And pious action, we do sugar o'er
The devil himself.


Website: http://www.myspace.com/solution45