Solarcycles – ‘Lunar’ (2023)
Rating: 9.5/10
Release: 27 Oktober 2023
Label: Independent
Solarcycles is a five-member Dutch folk-metal band and, excitingly, Lunar is their first full-length album. Personally, I’ve been looking forward to it for more than a month, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out: folk and rock melding with nature and new-age. It’s somehow very mellow but still manages to kick ass.
Their sound is really tight: a standard metal arrangement with added synth and violin. Sascha van der Meer, the lead female vocalist, hits like the Cranberries at some times, like Flyleaf others– the vocals are very clean and mesmerizing. Iwan IJsbrandij lends harsh vocals for a couple tracks, and it is a great counterpoint. I love when any band does this, and Solarcycles is strikingly capable of making their sound magical. Likewise, there are some standout guitar moments and, like an added vocalist, the violin does a great job providing melody.
The track selection is what you’d hope for: similar enough to each other to create a cohesive unit, but separate enough that it’s not a loaf of samey mess. “Immeasurable Fog” is somber and low where “Moonlit Fields” is in 6/8-time and rollicking, and “Wrath of the Sea” is stormy and moody. There are some familiar motifs in the openings to “Immeasurable Fog” and “Moonblind”. Like any good album, “Nature’s Blessing” does a great job of opening the album by showing off the band’s many facets, and “Grows Then Dies” is a decent closer, and like any great album, it makes me sad that it’s over. It was hard choosing a favorite track, but I think the honor goes to “Wrath of the Sea”– the song is deceptively pretty, an intro that goes hard, and an instantly-recognizable chorus. “Moonlight Fields” is a close second with some killer guitar riffs.
In the end, I was looking forward to this album on social media after hearing their 2017 EP “Ethereal Storms”. This album feels far more polished and refined. It’s a big step for the band. If you like some new age in your folk metal and the beautiful album art resonates with you in any way, then this album is probably for you. Cheers!
Tracklist
- Nature’s Blessing 06:33
- Raven’s Call 05:21
- Ode to the Forest 04:38
- Immeasurable Fog 05:30
- Moonlit Fields 04:41
- Rivers of Light 05:17
- Moonblind 05:34
- Wrath of the Sea 05:43
- Bind the Circle 06:15
- Grows Then Dies 05:10