Live Reviews

04.10.01: Trax, Romford
Solace Denied make a good, spiky-knuckled fist of their allotted 30 minutes tonight. they enter with a clutch of new songs that won't let anyone down. if you think you don't have the time for another black metal band, you should know that there is plenty here in the way of inventive, demented riffage that transcends many of their peers. elements of thrash, death and black metal all combine to produce an impressive arsenal that slithers its way into your cranial synapses while you can't stop nodding. starting their set with a bruising 'of foul blood' they are clearly thrilled by the evening proceedings and so is the crowd who share their delight. the band have turned into a tightly coiled core of simmering intensity since the last time i saw them, and new songs like 'breath of torment', and 'dead reflection' indicate that they are streamlining their sound without polishing the raw edges away. vocalist adam makes the process of exorcising demons look quite enjoyable as the rest of the band assault the stage with reckless abandon. you can't afford to miss them next time round.
Review by Nelly Liger (Terrorizer Magazine, November 2001)

06.04.01: Day of Death 2 - The Red Eye, Kings Cross, London
Solace Denied possess the savoir-faire to floor the gas pedal and interlace the fury with a maidenesque gallop. it's another robust performance from the essex crew, confirming their standing as one of the country's leading prospects.
Review by Nick Moberly (Terrorizer Magazine, June 2001)

04.05.01: The Empress, Bradford
I confess to feeling a little guilty when i noticed that their keyboard player was no longer a part of the band, wondering vaguely if my disparaging comments about bored facial expressions had perhaps been a contributary factor, but it seemed that it had been a sensible group decision based on the fact that there are only about three minutes' worth of keyboard sounds during a typical solace denied set. tonight this lack of synths shifted the emphasis away from the melody and more towards the face-smashing aggression, to the extent that I couldn't believe I actually likened this lot to the execrable cradle of filth last time I caught them live... they really are quite unlike them. playing tightly given the new staff, solace denied provided a solid set of thrashy blackish metal, with, once again, inhuman shrieks and disturbing body language from their small-in-stature-but-not-in-lung-capacity singer. tidy.
Review by James "Harry" Hinchcliffe (Esoterica online Metal Magazine, May 2001)

03.12.00: The Red eye, Kings cross, london
Altogether more savage, relying on true grit rather than on any sartorial trappings. their sonic whirlwind is fairly devastating in the live setting and clearly benefits from their indignant vocalist stomping around the stage and whirling his hair like a dervish.
Review by Nick Moberly (Terrorizer Magazine, January/February 2001)

07.09.00: Metropolis Lounge, Peterborough
Unfortunately, from talking to various members of the audience, it is clear that the band did not go down very well. the set started with absolutely no energy and failed to grab my attention. their music was very dry and flavourless, although it did pick up a little after a while. however, this band still failed to move me. individually the musicians are very talented with their instruments, but as a band, the combination does not work. the singer pranced round the stage screaming and spinning his head at about 100mph, but this had to be the most interesting characteristic of the entire set. go and see solace denied if you love iron maiden, but if you want to see a band that have their own sound, I would not recommend solace denied.
Review by "Kissifurr" from Lazee Productions (Peterborough Music Forum, September 2000)


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