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Soulitude - The Crawlian Supremacy review



Reviewer:
9.2

7 users:
8
Band: Soulitude
Album: The Crawlian Supremacy
Style: Power metal
Release date: April 10, 2006
A review by: wrathchild


01. Planet Thralldoom (intro)
02. Enslaved
03. Menace Of The Universe
04. Dunes Of Mub'Arass
05. Solar Ghosts
06. Trip To Helgnord
07. Viking Pride
08. The Oracle
09. Dawn Of War
10. March Of The Crawlians
11. Time For Deliverance
12. New Age
13. Fast As A Shark [Accept cover]

You may not know Jevo yet, but believe me, after you read this review, you will! He's not a guitar hero, as he keeps repeating, but he plays guitar in Valhalla, a Spanish heavy power band, and he occasionnaly releases some (free) albums of his own. Soulitude is his latest project, featuring lots of guest musicians and vocalists, and it is probably the best! And yes, "The Crawlian Supremacy" is available for free download at his website!

Now with such an enthusiastic introduction, you probably guessed I love this album. This power metal project has achieved something fantastic, something I have dreamt of listening to one day. To sum up, this is a 100% power metal album that incorporates passages reminding of other metal genres, such as thrash, black, etc. I was really amazed when listening to "Enslaved", the first song. Not only this variety brings even more dynamics and interest, but it's so well used that the music flows seamlessly.
And my excitement lasted till the very end of the album, through the thrash intro (similar to what would be a heavy version of "Blackened" by Metallica) of "Menace Of The Universe", the oriental melody of "Dunes Of Mub'Arass", the instrumental "Solar Ghosts" (featuring similar keyboard sounds as Turilli's second album before getting into some more Gamma Rayish kind of guitar melodies), the Iron Maiden-like bass break of "Trip To Helgnord", the intelligent use of female and black metal voices in "Viking Pride", the thrash/black riffs and vocals of "The Oracle", the cool keyboard intro of "Dawn Of War", the Star Wars Emperor theme in "March Of The Crawlians", the acoustic passages (or is it keyboards) of "Time For Deliverance", and the final track "New Age".
And yet, I have only chosen to give you one aspect of each of those songs! I also have to tell you that all those tracks are really power metal and you'll find (excellent) guitar harmonies in all of them as well as choruses to sing along.
There's a bonus track, the cover of "Fast As A Shark" by Accept, which is probably the weakest song of this concept album about planet invasions.

What else can I say to have you download this album as soon as possible? Hum, well, if you're into power metal, you should have no problem enjoying the album, but if you aren't then it may be good to check it if you want to understand the good sides of power metal. I truly see this album as an evolution in the genre. Of course it's not the first time an album mixes genres, but I repeat, this album clearly remains power metal, but power metal brought to a higher level.
Also, if I was one of those guys who give 10 to everything, I would have given this one 11 or more, but I tried to be realistic and I didn't even took the fact it was completly free in my rating.

So, are you really willing to ignore Soulitude's "The Crawlian Supremacy" when it is offered to you? Do yourself a favor and click the link below!


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 10
Originality: 9
Production: 8

Written by wrathchild | 03.06.2006




Comments

Comments: 12   Visited by: 40 users
03.06.2006 - 22:14
Sekhmet
Electric Witch
Downloading some tracks right now. After reading your review, I have great expectations for what I'll hear...
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I wish I had a mental survival kit...
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03.06.2006 - 22:32
Jonathan Tweet
Account deleted
I hope this is good...been a while since I heard some fresh power metal
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03.06.2006 - 23:00
Basso
Account deleted
Downloaded now. Lets hear what it has to offer
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03.06.2006 - 23:17
Basso
Account deleted
For being free this is fuckin amazing :O I am impressed. Catchy as hell!
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03.06.2006 - 23:30
Jonathan Tweet
Account deleted
yeah I guess I can't complain since its free..it does sound kinda amateur though. I like "Solar Ghosts"
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03.06.2006 - 23:38
Rating: 9
wrathchild
Staff
"Amateur"? Well, to me, Sonata Arctica may sound amateurish, but I fail to see how Soulitude can be like that.

Anyway, thanks for checking them out.
As Basso said, that's impressive for something that is freely distributed. But even if this was not the case, I still think it's one of the best power metal release I've heard so far.
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La belleza no reside en lo que puedas crear, sino en lo que eres capaz de transmitir
Beauty resides not in what you're able to create, but in what you're able to communicate


Txus, Mägo De Oz
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04.06.2006 - 13:44
Raiden
Down Under Staff
Elite
I thought that reviews couldn't exceed 250 words

A nice one though

One question about the new rating system; is the final rating an average of the five sub-ratings? What if, say, the shitty production of an album makes is sound good, or something like that? (if the average rating thing is the case).

But yeah, good job there.
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"Scream for me Melbourne!!!!"
- Bruce Dickinson

"I don't see any god up here"
- Yuri Gagarin (while in orbit, 1961)
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04.06.2006 - 13:55
Rating: 9
wrathchild
Staff
Written by Raiden on 04.06.2006 at 13:44

I thought that reviews couldn't exceed 250 words

It's the opposite: it cannot be less than 250 words (and for guest reviewers).

Written by Raiden on 04.06.2006 at 13:44

One question about the new rating system; is the final rating an average of the five sub-ratings? What if, say, the shitty production of an album makes is sound good, or something like that? (if the average rating thing is the case).

Yes, the overall rating is the average of the sub ratings. But if the production makes the overall rating lower, then you should consider the "Overall Impression" rating as the main rating

BTW, I don't realy like to write such long, descriptive reviews, but I thought it was the best way to illustrate this album.
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La belleza no reside en lo que puedas crear, sino en lo que eres capaz de transmitir
Beauty resides not in what you're able to create, but in what you're able to communicate


Txus, Mägo De Oz
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04.06.2006 - 14:12
Raiden
Down Under Staff
Elite
1. Oh, I misinterpreted that one then! lol

2. Ahh ok then

3. Haha, yeah, sometimes it's necessary. I'm not a great reviewer, but I've written a few in my time, and sometimes they can get fairly long as I get into them, and so I have to cut bits off!
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"Scream for me Melbourne!!!!"
- Bruce Dickinson

"I don't see any god up here"
- Yuri Gagarin (while in orbit, 1961)
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06.06.2006 - 10:18
URIAHEEP
Account deleted
It´s a great album for free downloading!!!
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27.11.2006 - 20:32
Baz Anderson
Staff
wow - what is this?
i downloaded it after reading this review - then forgot about it for a week or so
and now i just found it and lsitened to it and i think it is very good indeed!!

the thing that worries me is this is the same guy that did 'Sign Of The Homer' and 'Keeper Of The Seven Beers' ...
how can i take this seriously after that??

are there going to be more Soulitude albums? or is this just like a one-off or something?
i hope not because this is very good indeed!
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23.09.2007 - 18:52
Rating: 9
wrathchild
Staff
Written by Baz Anderson on 27.11.2006 at 20:32

are there going to be more Soulitude albums? or is this just like a one-off or something?
i hope not because this is very good indeed!

Sorry I forgot to reply to that question. Yes, Jevo announced there would be another Soulitude album and that he was thinking of setting up a band to play live.
I've just checked on Soulitude's website and it seems the new album is going to be released soon. The cover artwork is on there. Pretty different from The Crawlian Supremacy.
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La belleza no reside en lo que puedas crear, sino en lo que eres capaz de transmitir
Beauty resides not in what you're able to create, but in what you're able to communicate


Txus, Mägo De Oz
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