Solace (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Solace


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = New Jersey, United States
Genre = Hard rock
Heavy metal
Doom metal
Stoner rock
Years_active = 1996–present
Label = Underdogma Records
Land o' Smiles Records
Listenable Records
MeteorCity
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.diedrunk.com/ diedrunk.com]
Current_members = Jason
Tommy Southard
Justin Daniels
Kenny Lund
Duane Hutter
Past_members = John Proveaux
Bill Belford
Matt Gunvordahl
Keith Ackerman
Rob Hultz

Solace is a heavy metal band hailing from the Jersey Shore, United States.

Formed in 1996 by the remaining members of Atlantic Records artist Godspeed, Solace is most well-known in the stoner rock genre, but as guitarist and founding member Tommy Southard has said "We're not a stoner band, we're a rock 'n' roll band—a hard rock band, a metal band." [cite web
last = Varney
first = Brian
title = Solace: An Interview with guitarist Tommy Southard
publisher = lollipop.com
url = http://www.lollipop.com/archive_temp.php3?content=issue52/52-02-08.html] However, the comparison of their albums to those of Black Sabbath, Queens of the Stone Age, and Kyuss, as well as their live performances at stoner rock festivals such as America's Emissions from the Monolith and Europe's Roadburn Festival, have rooted them deeply in this genre of rock.

Biography

Godspeed years

In 1994, east coast rockers Godspeed went to Electric Lady Studios to record their Atlantic Records debut album "Ride". Featuring future Solace members Tommy Southard and Rob Hultz, Godspeed's major label run included a cover of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" for "" with Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, tours of the United States and Europe with Black Sabbath, Dio, Cathedral, and Sugartooth, as well as a music video for their single "Houston Street" featured on MTV's Headbanger's Ball and Beavis and Butt-head.

The birth of Solace

Godspeed dissolved after just one album, but following stints as lead guitarist for both Sugartooth and Slap Rocket, Southard reformed the band in 1996 with Hultz and former Glueneck singer Jason, naming the revamped outfit Solace. After a 1997 demo, Solace released their self-titled 7" debut in 1998, followed by 1999's "Distanced from Reality" EP, a split with fellow New Jerseyans Solarized.

Soon afterwards, the band released its debut LP, 2000's "Further". A cover by metal art veteran Wes Benscoter (Slayer's "Divine Intervention") hinted at darkness within the album, which was quickly considered a departure from the stoner rock pigeon-hole the band had already been put into.

"13" and beyond

In 2003, the band released the follow-up to "Further", its second full-length album "13". Artist, fan, and friend of Solace Paul Vismara created the album's cover. Considered by some to be musically superior to its predecessor, [cite web
last = Rivadavia
first = Ed
title = "Further" review
publisher = Allmusic
url = http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:9l1m963ohep6] "13" helped Solace further define themselves as more than simply stoner rock, assisted by the vocals and guitar work of doom metal legend Scott Weinrich (also known as Wino, formerly of The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, and Spirit Caravan) on the track "Common Cause".

Soon after the release of "13", the song "Indolence" was used on the soundtrack of the popular video game "Tony Hawk's Underground". 2003 also saw the band tweak their line-up with former Lethal Aggression drummer Kenny Lund and the addition of second guitarist Justin Daniels. With this new line-up, they entered the studio once again in 2004 to record "Black Market/Hammerhead", a split EP with Albany, New York's Greatdayforup.

Solace's half of this split EP was re-released on vinyl in 2006. In April of that year, Solace headed to Europe for Holland's Roadburn Festival. Upon their return, they strengthened their resolve further toward a new release. The band went into the studio to finish "A. D." in time for their Summer 2007 European tour with British doomsters Orange Goblin, only to realize that their creation was simply too vast for a single album. Four tracks were selected for release as "The Black Black", which was completed and pressed to coincide with the European tour.

Bad luck

From early in their career, Solace has been faced with almost mysterious problems. The band had an estimated 8 different drummers between 1996 and 2003 [cite web
last = "Pentheus"
title = Interview with Solace (Tom Southard)
publisher = Monolith
date = 2003-07
url = http://www.monolith.gr/interviews/html/solace.html (The number of different drummers from 1996-2003 has been estimated from as little as 7 to as high as 12.)] and suffered through supposed splits with vocalist Jason. Even seemingly random accidents—one resulting in the destruction of the original master tapes to their second album "13"—vexed the band. [cite web
last = Varney
first = Brian
title = "13"
publisher = lollipop.com
url = http://www.lollipop.com/article.php3?content=issue61/solace.html]

This curse seemed to be lifted at least somewhat in 2003, but returned only a year later when drummer Kenny Lund was diagnosed with cancer. All of the band's plans were halted, including a new recording contract with independent label Century Media. This setback did not stop them from returning to the studio once Lund recovered in 2005 to begin work on tracks for their as-yet unreleased album "A. D." Later that year, the band faced yet another hurdle—this time in the form of undisclosed personal problems and were forced to cancel a coast-to-coast US tour. This heralded the start of a hiatus that lasted months, during which then bassist Hultz married and moved to Chicago, IL.

olace today

The distance between Hultz and the rest of Solace became too great in late 2007, at which point the band was without a bassist. Despite this low point, the band's fortune changed on the heels of their successful European tour and they were signed to independent label Small Stone Records. Within months, their lineup was cemented with new bassist Duane Hutter and they were asked to play once again with friends Orange Goblin, this time for their annual Christmas show in London. Solace's set was capped by band friend and fellow New Jerseyan Ed Mundell of Monster Magnet joining them onstage for their infamous cover of Pentagram's "Forever My Queen".

Since their return from England, Solace has been furiously working on their highly anticipated album "A. D.", finally do for release in Winter 2008, as well as writing new material for future projects.

Members

Current members

*Tommy Southard – guitar (Formerly of Prunella Scales, Slap Rocket, Godspeed, Social Decay, and Sugartooth, among others)
*Justin Daniels – guitar
*Kenny Lund – drums (Formerly of Lethal Aggression)
*Jason - vocals (formerly of Glueneck)
*Duane Hutter - bass guitar

Former members

*Rob Hultz – bass guitar (Formerly of Godspeed, Lethal Aggression)
*John Proveaux - drums
*Bill Belford - drums
*Matt Gunvordahl - drums
*Keith Ackerman - drums (currently of The Atomic Bitchwax)

Discography

Albums

*"Solace" 7" EP (1998, Warpburner Records)
*"Distanced from Reality" split with Solarized (1999, Freebird Records/MeteorCity)
*"Further" (2000, MeteorCity)
*"13" (2003, MeteorCity/Listenable Records)
*"Black Market/Hammerhead" split with Greatdayforup (2004, Underdogma Records)
*"Hammerhead" 10" inch EP (2006, Land o' Smiles Records)
*"The Black Black" (2007, Underdogma Records/Land o' Smiles Records)
*"A. D." (unreleased)

Compilations

*"Stone Deaf Forever" (1999, Red Sun Records)
*"Judge Not" (2000, Underdogma Records)
*"Doomed" (2000, The Dark Reign Records)
*"Where the Bad Boys Rock" (2001, People Like You Records)
*"The Mighty Desert Rock Avengers" (2002, People Like You Records)
*"MeteorCity Hellacious 2002 Sampler" (2002, MeteorCity)
*"Rebirth of the Heavy, Volume 2" (2004, The Music Cartel)
*"Burn the Street" (2005, Daredevil Records)

Tribute albums

* "Graven
Freebird Records)
* "" (2000, Small Stone Records)
* "Slave to the Power: A Tribute to Iron Maiden" (2000, MeteorCity)
* "Destroysall: A Tribute to Godzilla" (2003, Shifty Records)

Videography

* "Die Drunk" (2006, Ambrosia Path Productions)
* "Cement Stitches" (2006, Ambrosia Path Productions)
* "Hungry Mother" (2006, Ambrosia Path Productions)
* "Solace: The Videos—Volume 1" (2006, Ambrosia Path Productions)
* "Solace: Roadburn" (2006, Ambrosia Path Productions)

Other media

* "Indolence" (from "13") was used on the soundtrack of "Tony Hawk's Underground" (2003, Activision)
* "Cement Stitches" and "Rumble" (from "Black Market/Hammerhead") were used on the soundtrack of "American Skier" (DVD) (2004, X Ski Films)
* Various tracks used on the soundtrack of MTV's show "Homewrecker"

External links

* [http://www.diedrunk.com Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/solacedoom Official MySpace]
* [http://www.hardradio.com/shockwaves/solace1.php3 HardRadio.com interview with Tommy Southard]

References