Reviews from "Solaris"
7.5/10
www.heavymetalwebzine.it/2025/05/22/distant-past-solaris
Classic heavy metal for this album by Swiss band Distant Past.
Active since 2002, after a couple of demos on their debut, the quintet has now reached its fifth album, Solaris. As the title suggests, it is inspired by the 1961 science fiction novel of the same name by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. A man who knew a thing or two about science fiction.
The lyrics closely follow the narrative of the book and, although we are not dealing with a true concept album, we are still very close to it.
The only remaining member of the original line-up is bassist Adriano Troiano, who was joined in 2013 by singer Jvo Julmy and later by Remo, Lorenz and Ben.
With their uncompromising and traditional attitude towards metal, Distant Past are not one to follow the trends of the moment. Straight down their path and true to their roots, the band would do well to continue in this vein.
This is a work that conveys a passion for metal, and I find it tremendously sincere. I like this devotion to their roots and this successful attempt to entertain in a spontaneous and straightforward way. And, of course, in a professional manner, let's not forget that.
Jvo's voice is distinctive, you have to get used to it, but once you do, you love it unconditionally.
After the intro to “End Of Life”, we're off with the classic fast-paced guitar riffs of “No Way Out” and “Warriors Of The Wasteland”, the heaviest track on the album. The overwhelming metal gallop continues and increases in pace with ‘Sacrifice’ before transforming into the next track, ‘Rise Above Fear’, a joyful and playful (happy metal, you could say?) song. Here, melodic metal kicks in for a moment and the two guitarists take turns almost teasing each other.
And, if for a moment the rhythm becomes more frivolous, with ‘Island Of The Lost Souls’ we immediately return to classicism and start pounding again. The 80s atmospheres recreated in ‘Speed Dealer’ are beautiful, and the old-style ballad ‘The Watcher’ is equally remarkable.
But hey, a little sentimentality never hurts. But just when you think you can relax for a moment and hold your girlfriend's hand to whisper something sweet in her ear, trick, halfway through the song the tone changes completely and returns fiercely to the initial frenzy. And goodbye intimate moment, damn them! Oh well, it means you let go of her hand and both go back to moshing.
‘Fire & Ice’ closes this album as it began, to the delight of headbangers and those who still wear studded bracelets.
The cover is also beautiful, reminiscent, perhaps intentionally, of the film adaptation of the book with its depiction of a female face immersed in a turbulent cosmos. Kudos to the creator and artist Tomasz Moranski.
Solaris is an uncompromising heavy metal album. It's engaging, to be listened to at full volume without asking too many questions or thinking too much. Sometimes we need that too.
I didn't know them before, but I think I'll go and catch up on their discography. A musical-science fiction immersion that I'm sure won't disappoint me.
It's well played, well produced and as you listen to it, it makes you imagine yourself as a tough guy wearing a leather jacket with your thumbs tucked into your jeans pockets.
For once, let's just enjoy it. What more could we want, a beer? Then let's have one!
To stay on the science fiction theme, I wanted to end the review by wishing everyone and Distant Past “long life and prosperity”, but perhaps that's a bit tacky, so let's leave it.
Yes, let's leave it.