Just off the Mediterranean coast of Spain lie the Balearic Islands. Among the roughly 1.2 million inhabitants of the island is a group of musicians who seem to have played together in a variety of projects for some time. SolNegre consist of four of these musicians along with a handful of guest contributors. Based on the photos of the beautiful sandy beaches and crystal-blue waters, you might think these guys would play a cheerful genre like Beach Boys-core.
However, even beach life must have its hardships, because what SolNegre offer is a slab of melancholy doom that has more in common with My Dying Bride or Saturnus than with any band playing songs about Piña coladas. Just the sight of their revelatory album title, Anthems for the Grand Collapse, makes me want to relax on one of those lovely beaches to wash away the bleak atmosphere. Let’s dive in and see how well these islanders do at sadboi.
While the intro to the opening track, «The Axiom – Song for the Inert Part II», reveals SolNegre’s talent for using synths to create atmosphere, the song’s core establishes the blend of My Dying Bride’s crushing riffs and growls with the more energetic death/doom of Novembers Doom. A melodic lead runs throughout, culminating in an ambitious solo that takes the lead to new levels. The incredibly catchy next track, «The Hollow Inside», features a chorus that might resonate with a mainstream audience, even if the track veers into clearly non-mainstream directions. The other side of death/doom is an Ennui-level funeral doom melody that casts a shadow over the already bleak atmosphere («For All that Could Have Been»). SolNegre play sorrowful melodies with an impressively varied number of ways.
The members’ strong chemistry shows in their talent and cohesion. Ûkh delivers a powerful vocal performance with some muscular death growls. He adds intensity and power alongside a strikingly sharp bass-driven guitar assault. Gebre proves to be the glue holding the record together. His deep, dynamic bass is present on nearly every track, and he also plays a tasteful jazz solo midway through “The Hollow Within”. The guest contributors add varied character throughout, such as a Mike Le Rosetti solo that spans almost the entire second half of “The Axiom” and some cleans from Pedro Inglés during the jazz continuation on “The Hollow Within”. SolNegre hand the reins to recurring guest singer Gadea es Ineseta and violinist Núria Luis on the remarkably wonderful “In the Stillness of the Womb”. Although it nods more to soft rock than extreme metal, it features such moving and touching performances from Ineseta and Luis that it feels right at home among these anthems to a grand collapse.
A few questionable songwriting decisions keep Anthems for the Grand Collapse from reaching the desired level. First off, SolNegre struggle with coherent lyrics on certain tracks. This is especially problematic on “The Hollow Within”, where an awkward attempt at a metaphor combining loneliness, water and drowning leads to the ridiculously bad line, “A room with no doors or windows / Knowing how to swim is wise”. It’s a painful part of an otherwise stunning song. What’s more, the hot-and-cold pacing creates a sense of stuttering throughout the record, with some tracks dragging too slowly and others dragging a bit too much. “For All That Could Have Been” in particular gets stuck in the middle of the album. Individually, the songs range from good to excellent, but the transitions between them can be irritating.
The next time you want to balance your bright and cheerful beach vacation with a little relaxing music, you should bring along SolNegre’s Anthems for the Grand Collapse. Surely you and your family will want to drown your loneliness and sorrows in the warm, beautiful waters hitting your toes. This has proven to be a decent second effort from the Balearic Islands. I love hearing the passion on display, and even where the band shows some problems, it makes the record even more endearing. I hope these island beaches won’t keep these guys happy and busy for too long, so they can put out another record as soon as possible.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Meuse Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Releases worldwide: April 3, 2026
