THE ZENITH PASSAGE is back with their debut studio album, Solipsist out now via Unique Leader Records. I fell in love with this band when I first heard their EP, Cosmic Dissonance. Ever since I found them I had been so excited for new material to come out, so reviewing this album was the best opportunity ever. THE ZENITH PASSAGE are a technical death metal band whose lyrical themes are written heavily about space. This band is no less than freaking amazing; there is not a single song I don’t enjoy from them. This album has been an awesome experience, now let me elaborate.
Solipsist is a masterpiece. Even though I love their previous work a bunch, this record is such an improvement in the band’s skill and songwriting. The disc opens with an eerie two part intro. “Holographic Principle I: Emergence”, slowly and quietly fades in with what sounds like a slow melody over static. This is definitely fitting for them. The song walks right “Holographic Principle II: Convergence.” This one starts off fast and heavy, giving you a kind of shock from the slowness of the first part. It gets so technical so fast, the melodies start to really build up, and it gives off such an amazing feeling. The melodic singing over this melody is awesome, the band really incorporated this a lot more into the new album, and it sounds really damn good.
The next tune, “Stimulated Reality” starts with a simple riff, one that’s barely audible. The song then really kicks in and the blast beats join the riff, and it gets very heavy. The guitar leads aren’t as fast as the previous track but they are really melodic and nice-sounding. They incorporate a lot of the melodic singing in here along with the solos, and it is perfect. “Deus Deceptor” then comes in fast with everything playing so heavily. I really enjoy the feel of this song, especially in the beginning. The drum parts are so crazy, this guy is wicked fast. The little melodic effect over the bridge sounds really hypnotizing. The song slowly fades away with more of the singing I was talking about, making for a really good exit.
“Dreamsphere,” an intro to the next track, “Hypnagogia” is full of effects mixed together that really give off the spacey feeling that I mentioned. The song has a little bit of guitar lead, and a slow drum part in it, it slowly fades with the rhythm continuously playing, it’s a really attractive piece. “Hypnagogia” starts up blasting, this opening sounds pretty low, it cuts off for another little part of synthesizer effects, and is really well-written.
“Metaphysical Solipsism” starts off with a dissonant guitar rhythm that introduces the song well. The rhythm changes up a little bit when the vocals come in, and the whole thing progresses greatly. The guitar leads sick out heavily here. They make the song what it is, and it sounds amazing. The album intro plays once more right before the final track (and my absolute favorite on the album) “Luminary Singularity,” getting it to really build up before the song plays. It starts off slow, heavy, and menacing. Right after the intro an amazing bass solo builds up, and it sounds phenomenal to me, especially since I’m a bass player.
Solipsist is About as perfect as it gets. The guitar riffs are so heavy, and the leads are melodic and hypnotizing, they have to be my favorite element. The bass is technical as hell, and the drums are blasting and get extremely fast. This guy is solid AND fast, which can be hard to find these days. The vocals are heavy and fit perfectly with the instrumentals, and like I mentioned earlier the lyrical themes make it even better; it’s just an enjoyable album overall. THE ZENITH PASSAGE is getting better with each release, so I really recommend picking up a copy of Solipsist today. You will not be disappointed.
STANDOUT TRACKS: ALL OF THEM
RATING: 10/10
-TANKARD SMITH
