Solace
Black metal fans, get ready. From the metal scene in Norway,  Lengsel has materialized out of the haze to offer a dark and snarled  tour through a postmodern metropolis. Lengsel means "longing" or  "yearning," but this disc sounds more like anguish and woe. The  overpowering rush of the double-bass drum and speed metal guitars is  like a car rampaging at high speeds through a crowded downtown area,  heedless of the results. The song "Hours" actually contains some  bloodcurdling screams. Mixed somewhere into the swell of chaos, the  desperate ultra-rasp vocals of Tor Magne S. Glidje (who also plays bass  for the band Extol) throw out lyrics that only the trained ear can  discern. There are a few calmer moments interspersed throughout the  disc, but they only deliver a half-gasp of air before the frenzied  venting resumes. Those who are nourished on this stuff will find Solace  to be an enjoyable meal. You know who you are.--Israel Button