Solitude Poisoned Population
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
During the first couple of years in the 1990s, thrash metal was king, and as a result of the success enjoyed by Metallica, Slayer and the like, what seemed like hundreds of thrash bands popped up out of nowhere to claim a piece of the prize. With few exceptions, most of these bands soon fell by the wayside as the ‘90s became the grunge decade. Some of these bands, if we’re being honest, deserved their fate. However, others were unfairly overlooked and should have gone on to experience real success. One of those bands was Delaware thrashers Solitude.
Solitude had been active in the Delaware metal scene since 1983 (active in this case translates to “they were the Delaware metal scene”). The band’s thrash metal sound solidified not long after they experienced Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All, which pushed Solitude (and plenty of other bands) in a harder, faster direction. As the band progressed, their sound took on a definite Bay Area-influence. In particular, you hear a lot of Testament in Solitude’s sound, starting especially with the Sickness demo release. Solitude had a great mix of speed, technical ability, intelligent socially-conscious lyrics and an unrelenting sense of heaviness throughout. This was a band that had a lot more to offer than your average thrash metal act, but they never managed to break out to a larger audience. Their demos were well-received in tape trading circles, and they managed to score a song (“Typhoid Mary”) on Metal Blade’s Metal Massacre X compilation. This led to a record contract with Red Light Records and the release of their debut full-length, 1994’s From Within. Unfortunately, the album’s release coincided with the rise of grunge as well as the demise of their label, so From Within never saw U.S. distribution, and the band soon called it a day.
Solitude may not have lasted, but they obviously weren’t forgotten. Reissue label Divebomb Records has just released Poisoned Population – The Complete Collection (1987-1994). As you might gather from the title, Poisoned Population collects every available Solitude recording in one impressive two-disc anthology. The first disc is the full From Within album, and the second disc includes the demos Focus of Terror (1987), Sickness (1988) and Fall of Creation (1990). All songs have been digitally remastered and, given the source material, sound pretty damned good. In addition to the remastered audio, Poisoned Population features enhanced video content (an eight-song live performance and a slideshow of original show flyers), and the liner notes include an interview with vocalist/guitarist Keith Saulsbury conducted by Kevin Stewart-Panko of Decibel Magazine. Poisoned Population is limited to 1,000 copies, and will not be available digitally. Even if you have the original CD release of From Within, the improved sound quality and additional material make Poisoned Population a must-buy. If you’ve yet to experience Solitude and have an appreciation for vintage thrash metal, Poisoned Population is a true lost treasure from the metal vault.
Label: Divebomb Records
Online: www.myspace.com/solitude302
Lineup:
Keith Saulsbury – Vocals/Guitar
Mike Hostler – Drums
Dan Martinez – Guitar
Chris “Soup” Campbell – Bass
Track Listing:
Disc 1
1. Twisted
2. No Future
3. Tipping the Balance
4. Alter the Red
5. Mind Pollution
6. From Within
7. The Afterlife
8. A Loss of Blood
9. The Empty
10. Poisoned Population
11. In This Life
12. Side Winder
Disc 2
1. Shroud of Silence
2. Fall of Creation
3. Degenerate
4. Alter the Red
5. Instrumental
6. The After Life
7. Side Winder
8. Typhoid Mary
9. Bats in the Belfry
10. The Elegy
11. The End
12. You Die
13. Dead Or Alive
14. Buried Alive
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10