siLLy puPPy And yet another extreme metal band emerging from a far flung place, in this case the city of Cuauhtémoc near the city of Chihuahua in the north of Mexico. Formed in 2015, this trio of Rafael Valles (vocals), Hector Gonzalez (drums) and Humberto Ordoñez (guitar) has released one EP and this so far sole full-length MAQUINAM CREANTIS. Following in the tradition of melo-death laid down by a multitude of bands ranging from Edge of Sanity, Carcass, Dark Tranquility and At The Gates, perhaps its Amon Amarth that reminds me the most of SOLARIS IMPERIUM.

Despite hailing from a Spanish speaking land, SOLARIS IMPERIUM is going for the global market and implements the English language for its delivery. While melo-death bands are a dime a dozen in the last couple decades SOLARIS IMPERIUM has forged a rather unique blend of Amarthian melo-death with a stealthy backdrop of symphonic elements and electronic elements such as EBM and aggrotech most readily found in various strains of cyber metal. While many such cyber metal bands fall in a more industrial metal style of delivery, SOLARIS IMPERIUM puts it all into a more symphonic death metal package sounding something like a mix of Amon Amarth and the backing of Septicflesh albeit with cyber symphonics dominating the backdrop.

This album MAQUINAM CREANTIS features 10 tracks that add up to just over 39 minutes and has only been released independently on CD. The production is crisp and clear and sounds like a modern production in congruency with the futuristic cyber metal packaging. The musical delivery is a mix of Amon Amarth styled melo-death that features stealthy guitar riffing along with bass and drums at high speeds. While the symphonic cyber elements are coasting along throughout the album’s entirety they are most pronounced during the moments when the metal bombast drops out completely. The metal elements are ferocious with Rafael Valles’ vocals existing in the extreme deep end of the guttural growl death metal camp.

Basically i would pin this album sounding something akin to Amon Amarth circa the “Surtur Rising” period with strong distinct melodic constructs fortified by a thundering hammering of chunky guitar riffs and an incessant blastbeat action of the drum and bass combo. The backing cyber sympho elements allow the metal to drop in and out in syncopated calculations from time to time but the musical flow is primarily based on oscillating even punishing riffing sessions. Overall this is a pleasant mix of ferocious melo-death mixed with some flattering electronic elements. While not totally unique sounding, SOLARIS IMPERIUM does manage to stick out of the crowd. The biggest drawback is that some of the tracks start sounding samey towards the end nevertheless i kinda love listening to this.