Solace And Stable – Adaptation And The Seclusive Remedy (2009) Album Review

Let’s face it, most established metalcore, deathcore, progressive and whatever core bands all sound the same these days. So, undoubtedly when a new band comes along and releases something that fuses metalcore, deathcore and progressive melodic elements together perfectly, a few peoples pants are sure to be wet in shock and excitement. Meet Solace and Stable, a new kid on the metal block that will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers and perhaps make other bands clean up their acts and do something new.

Adaption And The Seclusive Remedy is the debut full-length album from Solace and Stable a 5 piece progressive metal band from Kansas City, MO that packs a massive punch. This album sounds like a mix between; August Burns Red, Between The Buried And Me, Parkway Drive and For The Fallen Dreams, so pretty much the perfect mix when speaking in terms of metal music. This is probably one of the best unsigned album releases I have heard in a very long time, which doesn’t say too much of the other new metal bands (because there are thousands of them).

Somehow Solace and Stable manage to make melodic metal new and exciting again with this album; the riffs are perfectly crafted, the lead riffs mean as hell, the vocals unique and like nothing I have heard in a very long time from a metal band and the energy is just intense. Another thing I really love about this album is the fact that every track sounds different from the one before it, unlike some other bands that simply recycle the same riffs over and over again.

All the classic elements are there; blast beats, floorpunch worthy breakdowns, brutal vocals and awesome musicianship. Track number 8, “The Lost” is fucking awesome, the low vocal growls, melodic lead riffs and Sam Tennant the vocalist screaming, “Wake up America” over an awesome breakdown. Track number 3, “The Seclusive Remedy” immediately reminds me of Between The Buried And Me’s earlier material from the Silent Circus album and the masterpiece, Colors.

Each track is individually crafted and it is more than obvious that a lot of thought and effort went into this DIY release; but the only downside to this album is the production quality (which is to be expected from an unsigned release), the guitars are too loud and unbalanced, vocals slightly washed out and the drum kit should have had more time spent on it, perhaps reducing the volume on the cymbals and fixing that damn snare which sounds horrible at times.

Needless to say, for what it is (a DIY release), it is damn good. I have had this thing cranked up to the max in my car, especially love that breakdown at the end of “Burden” I absolutely love this album, put it on my iPod and have a copy in the car, and really cannot wait for their next release which will no doubt have better production quality and the Solace and Stable foundations that they have now concreted into the ground of which all future releases will hopefully have.

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