APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE - "EMBRACED BY THE BLACK"
[CD - Necrology Recordings]

There's no need to beat around the bush: if you want to play epic traditional doom-metal you NEED a good vocalist. Without him / her, all your efforts to convey that emotional distress so essential to this genre will be useless and you'll be condemned to wander endlessly in Spinal Tap territories. Thankfully, Indiana's Apostle Of Solitude have mastered that lesson well and their singer and vocalist Chuck Brown [amazingly, a former drummer for The Gates Of Slumber!] is the main reason behind the artistic success of their second demo "Embraced By The Black."

Adorned with tiny traces of stoner grooves, yet with enough grit around the edges to make sure any form of 'cool vibe' doesn't settle in, they may pay their dues to both Candlemass and Solitude Aeternus but nevertheless have managed to create a form of darkness on their own. Their simple arrangements, loud yet clear guitars and lysergic tempos give Brown all the space he needs to blossom, therefore providing "Embraced By The Black" with a rare quality --the ability to be both beautiful and heavy at the same time.