I don’t know about you, but I find 2026 to be an absolutely fascinating year for heavy music all the way around. Sure, every year has something in particular to boast. However, it is this year that we’re seeing the return of numerous acts whose presence has been sorely needed both in the current climate of the genre as a whole and the world itself. The likes of Downfall of Nur, Sojourner, and Whispered have already come back to us after quite some time in silence, and it is now Solace that can be added to the list. With their first album in seven years, these underground icons are destined to be hailed as one of the year’s best efforts of the style.

This is a band whose reputation should absolutely precede them at every turn, and if you’re not familiar with the accomplishments of Solace, then I strongly urge you to rectify that mistake. They’re a need-to-know name for many reasons. It was with their previous record in 2019, “The Brink”, that I still feel that Solace topped themselves, but it’s after a solid seven-year absence that Solace has made it exceedingly clear that they’re still nowhere near done if they have anything to say about it. From the very beginning, “Fading Failing Ruin” makes itself known as a red-hot work of straightforward, no-nonsense, balls-to-the-walls metal built off a strong foundation of riffs, crispy melodies, and a tremendous understanding of the craft the likes of which many bands can only ever hope to even begin to understand. There is something else at work here in the finer details of what Solace has put forth that I just cannot quite pin down or put my finger on, but it is downright intoxicating! Whether it’s the long-form tracks that are odes to this burning realm we call home or a crunchy marathon that just keeps on giving, Solace has absolutely hit the nail right on the head with all that is “Fading Failing Ruin”. It’s the unforgiving work of straightforward and unapologetic metal that we need in these times with Solace downright the perfect vessel to deliver it unto our unworthy souls.

Last year it was Goya that dominated this corner of the underground with their fiery creation of “In the Dawn of November”, and it’s now Solace is poised to execute the exact same excellence with “Fading Failing Ruin”. This is a special record that is all but destined to be named as a career-defining moment for Solace who after pouring in every ounce of their being into this magnificent creation, makes it known far and wide that they still have more than enough power to throw down and how to look damn good while doing it!

“Fading Failing Ruin” releases on July 3rd via Magnetic Eye Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Fading Failing Ruin” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Solace on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Solace on Instagram here.