Melodic death metal is a genre with a myriad of great bands that get lost in the sea of possible great releases. Russia’s Seducer’s Embrace seems to be one of those amazing hidden gems. Forming in Moscow, Russia back in 1998, it wasn’t till 2002 the world would see the band’s debut release titled Sinnocence which personally, was one of my favorite albums of all time. Fast forward to last year, I was ecstatic to hear that the group have released a new album titled Solidarity. With all the excitement seeing this awesome band back in full force after three years of silence since 2016’s Scooping the Ashes, did this album hold up to my expectations? Oh hell yeah it did and more.
The album is full of epic solos, thrashy riffs, groovy passages and just balls to the wall, cutthroat heaviness. With tracks like W.H.Y. and My Precious, there is a lot of reminiscent moments of older In Flames, Darkane, Dark Tranquillity and Burden of Grief in their sound. The guitars riffs, solos, blasting drums and vocals are all perfectly presented as each track sees a spotlight on each member’s talents. Did I mention solos? There is a “HOLY CRAP” solo on almost every track that will make any guitar aficionado drool. I personally feel like besides the amazing guitar work, the vocals stand out with the fact they are not just the same monotonous tone through out the album. There is definitely a great vocal range through out the songs and that is a huge plus.
All and all, this is a solid piece of melo-death with no flaws. There truly is something for everyone here whether you are a long time In Flames fan or you just want to hear some soaring guitars and epic solos. There is really a gem in the sand here with Seducer’s Embrace’s Solidarity. This was definitely worth the excitement and exceeded my expectations and I look forward to anything else this group releases.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
Review by Neil Andersen
