ALBUM REVIEW: Solitude and Savagery – Barbarian Hermit

As their first full-length album, BARBARIAN HERMIT had a lot to prove, especially considering the absolute untameable energy of their live shows. Solitude and Savagery is a mammoth release, mixing elements of groove, sludge, stoner, and melancholy to create an album that really places Manchester titans BARBARIAN HERMIT on the map, both in their hometown and throughout the metal scene in general.

Solitude and Savagery starts off heavy, offering up Enter The Hermitage as an impressive example of vocalist Ed Campbell‘s range. The galloping rhythm of this track blends seamlessly into a thick, sludgy bridge that gives listeners a chance to catch their breath before diving back under. Enter The Hermitage dips in and out of sludge and stoner riffs, setting up the atmosphere of the rest of the album perfectly.

Black Mass has a somewhat different sound to the heavy doom rhythms of the previous track, lending itself to a more melancholic experience. It does, however, keep BARBARIAN HERMIT’s signature oozing guitar patterns after stepping out from the echoing single notes at the start of the track. It’s difficult not to nod your head in response to the precision of the chugging that takes place throughout Black Mass.

No Sleep and Beyond The Wall take pride in the chug of BARBARIAN HERMIT’s guitars, with interesting pacing and a meaty sound that keep the listener anticipating what will come next. As well as this pacing, No Sleep treats us to a chunk of groove amongst the savagery. Life Breather also includes some beautifully haunting interludes that almost seem randomly dispersed throughout the heavy guitar riffs. Throughout this track, it’s difficult to miss drummer Gareth Manning’s tight beats that help to keep this variable train of sound on the right track.

Reawaken starts with squealing guitar and slow, authoritative rhythm that keeps us hooked, with Campbell’s vocals still holding their ground against this onslaught of Northern sludge. To remind us of who BARBARIAN HERMIT are, Reawaken includes a cheer that is characteristic of the group’s energetic live performances in the past.

At over eleven minutes long, the final track Laniakea never gets stale. Laniakea showcases the array of genres that BARBARIAN HERMIT have ventured into throughout the rest of the album, allowing space for catchy groove-metal and hard rock vibes whilst keeping true to their deep, sludgy doom roots. Campbell’s voice also takes centre-stage for a majority of this track, giving him an opportunity to move away from heavier vocals to a gravelly, husky voice that suits the complex track to a tee.

Overall, BARBARIAN HERMIT’s first full-length release is huge. Keeping true to their sludge and doom history, the five-piece group have offered up on our plate a huge array of brilliantly performed genre snippets, all the while dousing them in their characteristic thick Northern gravy. It seems fair to say that BARBARIAN HERMIT have firmly wedged both feet in the door of the music industry, and are ready to keep pushing that door open with all the energy they’ve got.

Rating: 9/10

Solitude and Savagery is set for release on November 16th via APF Records. 

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