The philosophical concept of "Solastalgia" can best be described as a form of emotional or existential distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change. It is also the name of Heretoir's fourth album. With "Solastalgia", the German purveyors of soaring post metal work their way to their innermost core and deliver what is easily their most vulnerable and accessible record to date.
"’Solastalgia’ describes the grief over the loss of the natural world, the environment and our concept of home," the band explains. The very existence of such a term brutally exposes our alienation from this planet – easy prey for these uncompromising analysts of human misery. Heretoir has always been pure emotion. The pain of modern life set to music. And yet the desperate beauty of "Solastalgia" proves to be an unlikely source of comfort.
Just two years on from their stunning full-length "Nightsphere", which was followed by headlining tours through Europe and Latin America and appearances at festival A-listers such as Resurrection Fest, Party-San and Summer Breeze, Heretoir are back with another crushing masterclass in melancholy and world-weariness. The world is getting worse and worse, but Heretoir are at the peak of their creativity. Perhaps there is a coincidence between external and internal factors? "Music is a channel for processing daily experiences. Emotions and words have to come out, otherwise our heads would burst. And as corny as it sounds, this band has a kind of cathartic factor – especially live. Our shows are little islands in the dreary world of everyday life", Nils explains.
Having grown from a solo outlet for David Conrad's musical vision to a tight-knit trio over the years, the current incarnation of Heretoir has proven to be their strongest yet. "It helps the band immensely that the three of us have established good communication and division of roles," says David. "Everyone is involved in songwriting in one way or another and has various other tasks as well." Bonded by the endless contradictions of modern life and the firm belief that empathy is the only thing that can truly keep us safe, the three have created an album so full of life that it can be overwhelming at first.
It hurts. But sometimes it has to.
Blurred tremolo guitars burst into cascading mountains of sublime melody and profound melancholy, harsh cries from the end of the world join mournful vocals, post-rock clouds evaporate against thunderous post (black) metal ferocity. The joint songwriting of David, Matthias and Nils creates a slightly different, new sound for Heretoir. Thus, after exploring their dark and grim side on "Nightsphere", Heretoir have gone in a different direction this time. With some songs dating back to before the release of their third album, they cover a wide range of emotional and heavy music. From Modern Metal to Black Metal to Screamo. "It's definitely an extreme album," the band nods. "It is super heavy, very melodic, very angry and very desperate and the modern parts, which have always had a place in Heretoir, have been strengthened in some songs."
Recorded and mixed by David Deutsch and Justin Felder at 1408 Studio in Hanover, Germany, the band returned to the place where they had already found success with "Wastelands" and "Nightsphere". Why change a working system? After that, "Solastalgia" was mastered by Lasse Lammert of LSD Studio.
Although meant to be listened to in its entirety while simultaneously cursing mankind for all its schizophrenic and suicidal tendencies and worshipping nature for its sublime beauty, a few songs on this album stand out. There's the huge "The Ashen Falls", album opener and breathtaking lead single, inspired by the overwhelming feeling of loneliness one can experience within modern mass society and completed with a voice sample courtesy of Michael Douglas of melodic metal/crust legends Morrow and Fall of Efrafa. Or "You are the Night", a pop song in a metal skin. Or "Season of Grief", a swan song to our lifeline, nature. "This is our tribute to 'The Mantle' by Agalloch and a little nod to Oathbreaker. It's also the second time we hear Matthias singing on a Heretoir song," the band says. Oh, and don't forget to check out their cover of In Flames' stunner "Metaphor".
"Solastalgia" may not be a concept album as such, but it is imbued with a sense of loss. In one way or another, almost all the songs convey feelings of grief, despair or loneliness. Some songs like the title track deal with environmental issues. Others focus more on personal feelings and the challenges of human existence in a rapidly changing world. "Although humanity as a whole is the biggest problem for the entire planet, it is the individual human being that makes life worth living in the first place", the band finds the right words yet again. The new album could be seen as an attempt to deliver an antidote to the paralysing horrors we feel when confronted with the exploitation of people, animals and the environment at an unprecedented rate. "We are currently seeing the most important issue facing the entire species, climate change, suddenly being completely sidelined and artificially created racist narratives gaining prominence around the world."
Listening to "Solastalgia" alone of course doesn't change that. But we do get the empowering feeling that we are not the only ones plagued by these cataclysmic changes that threaten our lives. And that in itself is worth a lot.

Björn Springorum