Solipsist (album)

Solipsist is the debut studio album by Bay Area technical death metal band The Zenith Passage. It was released via Unique Leader Records on April 15, 2016. It is the band's first release for Unique Leader Records, with whom they signed in 2013.[2] The album focuses on the concept of solipsism. The album features a guest vocal appearance by Fallujah’s Alex Hofmann, and guitar solo by Wes Hauch (ex-The Faceless). The cover art was done by Ken Sarafin, who had also worked with Skinless, The Kennedy Veil, and Archspire.[3][4] Per figures provided by Metal news site MetalInsider, the album sold 720 units in its first week.[5]

Solipsist
Studio album by
The Zenith Passage
ReleasedApril 15, 2016 (2016-04-15)
StudioCastle Ultimate Productions, Keene Machine Studios
GenreTechnical death metal
Length39:33
LabelUnique Leader
ProducerZack Ohren, Justin McKinney, Michael Keene
The Zenith Passage chronology
Cosmic Dissonance
(2013)		 Solipsist
(2016)
Singles from Solipsist
  1. "Holographic Principle II: Convergence"
    Released: June 1, 2017 (2017-06-01)
  2. "Deus Deceptor"
    Released: March 16, 2016 (2016-03-16)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Injection6.5/10[1]

Solipsist would be the band's only album to feature drummer Matthew Paulazzo, who would depart the band in 2018 to enter film school.[6]

A lyric videos was released for the song "Holographic Principle II: Convergence" on January 20, 2016.[7]

On March 14, 2016 the band debuted a lyric video for the song "Deus Deceptor" through MetalSucks.[8]

The band made the album available for streaming in full on April 13, 2016.[9][10]

The band released a music video for the song "Deus Deceptor" on June 15, 2017.[11]

In a 2018 interview with Casting Metal Podcast, McKinney noted, to some controversy, that Keene's role in the production of the album was extremely limited. According to McKinney, Keene, after collecting money from the band, made no progress on the production on the album for "seven or eight months". As a result, Unique Leader made the band find a new producer for the record, thus the band went with Ohern, who tracked the entire album (with the exception of some vocals tracked by Keene) in a week.[12]

Release & Reception

Metal Injection reviewer Nate gave the album a 6.5 / 10 score. He referred to the album as a "technical death metal gem", but lambasted it for its similarities to The Faceless' Planetary Duality, referring to the album as "Planetary Duality 2". A professed fan of the band's debut EP Cosmic Dissonance, the reviewer noted that if every song were as original as "Deus Deceptor", the album would be "unforgettable", but finalized his review by calling the album a "doppelgänger of a 2008 album".[13]

Heavy Metal blog "Angry Metal Guy" gave the album a 3.0 / 5.0. He praised the production quality of the record, but drew immediate parallels between the sound of Solipsist and that of The Faceless' first two albums, going so far as to call the band a "copycat act". He noted that the album would likely sound "more like The Faceless than "The Faceless" if the (then) upcoming The Faceless LP In Becoming a Ghost continued down the path of Autotheism, diverging from The Faceless' original sound.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Holographic Principle I: Emergence"1:07
2."Holographic Principle II: Convergence"3:47
3."Simulated Reality"3:48
4."Deus Deceptor"4:33
5."The Dissension Consensus"4:59
6."Dreamsphere"3:48
7."Hypnagogia"4:07
8."Metaphysical Solipsism"3:01
9."The Tenebrous Veil"4:45
10."Luminary Singularity"5:19
Total length:39:33

Personnel

The Zenith Passage

References
  1. Driedger, Nate (April 19, 2016). "Quick Review: THE ZENITH PASSAGE Solipsist". metalinjection.net. Metal Injection. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  2. "THE ZENITH PASSAGE Signs With UNIQUE LEADER RECORDS". Blabbermouth.net. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. "Sarafin Concepts :: Ken Sarafin :: Visual Artist : Graphic Designer". www.sarafinconcepts.com. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. "The Zenith Passage "Solipsist" CD - Unique Leader Records". www.indiemerch.com. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. "Metal By Numbers 4/27: Aces highMetal Insider". Metalinsider.net. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  6. Monte Barnard, Clayton Benge (22 May 2018). "Episode 10 - Justin and Rob (The Zenith Passage)". www.nerdcollaborative.com (Podcast). Nerd Collaborative Universe. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  7. "Exclusive: THE ZENITH PASSAGE Premiere Shredtastic Debut Single "Holographic Principle II: Convergence" - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  8. "Exclusive Track Premiere + Lyric Video: "Deus Deceptor" by The Zenith Passage - MetalSucks". Metalsucks.net. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  9. "THE ZENITH PASSAGE Shreds Profusely On Its Streaming Solipsist Record - Metal Injection". Metal Injection. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  10. "The Zenith Passage Streams Full New Album". Metalunderground.com. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  11. "THE ZENITH PASSAGE Summons The Matrix Looks In Its New Video". Metal Injection. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  12. Monte Barnard, Clayton Benge (22 May 2018). "Episode 10 - Justin and Rob (The Zenith Passage)". www.nerdcollaborative.com (Podcast). Nerd Collaborative Universe. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  13. "Quick Review: THE ZENITH PASSAGE Solipsist". www.metalinjection.com. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  14. "The Zenith Passage – Solipsist Review". www.angrymetalguy.com. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
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