Band:	Sole Remedy
Album:	Apoptosis
Style:	Atmospheric progressive metal
Release date:	September 2010

01. Comatose
02. Present Remorse
03. Leave
04. The Burden
05. Ordeal
06. Undertow
07. Apoptosis
08. Wolf In Me
09. Solace
10. Past Deca

Atmospheric progressive metal
Finland
Aftermath Music

Line-up on the CD:
Jukka Salovaara - vocals, guitars
Mikko Laine - guitars
Artturi Sipilä - bass
Eetu Karioja - keyboard, vocals
Henry "Henkka" Silmonen - drums


Sole Remedy has been around for quite some time now, having independently released their limited edition debut, The Wounded Ones in 2008. The album was mainly sold by the band during gigs in Finland, which consequently led to some interest on behalf of not only fans, but record labels. Fast forward to the impending release of Apoptosis - Sole Remedy is now a five-piece outfit, having teamed up with a new bassist and keyboardist, and signed to Aftermath Music.

What do they sound like? With scattered bits of Dream Theater, present-day Katatonia and post-Tuonela Amorphis, Sole Remedy is essentially prog metal with a melancholic atmosphere. The guitar leads constitute an awareness of grief and general unhappiness, while the steadying drum work keeps the riff tomfoolery at a minimum - or at least the album begins this way. Once the listener ventures further into the release, things really begin to get messy. Not freturbation messy, but not at all the same kind of album one expects after the introductory track, "Comatose".

"Leave" changes things up instantly with its straightforward hard rocking approach primarily governed by deep growls, and the aggression from that song carries into the rest of the release, completely defeating the melancholic atmosphere set in the first two tracks. Granted a song here and there assumes the role of "downer", but overall there isn't enough mood repetition to solidify the true purpose of this album. Jukka Salovaara's clean vocals make it back into the fray eventually, but the music on the next 7 tracks is just too pugnacious for its own good, making for a better NHL 10 soundtrack as opposed to a real opus for the woebegone. No wait, that's not right either. After a few over-the-top aggressive songs, we head straight back to melancholy territory. This is a confusing listen for sure.

Judging it for what it is then, Apoptosis is a solid mixture of headbanging melodic metal and an occasionally depressive mood with a genuinely enjoyable mixture of clean and harsh vocal styles. The longer songs tend to drag slightly but there is enough action in between the build-up introductions and cool-down closers to keep the average Cops addict satisfied. Some songs cater to the depressive crowd, while others add hostility.

Verdict? It's a tossup. Given the right mood this could be just the album you need. I, however, prefer my music to be "right mood"-transcending.


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