The German heavy metal band Solemnity is back with a new album. Their debut album, Reign In Hell was originally released without a label. The band now signed to Remedy Records. Compared to their debut nothing much has changed and believe me that’s a good thing. King Of Dreams is 100% true metal all the way, played in the style of bands like Manowar and (old) Helloween. The opening song “Fire In Mainstreamland” sets the atmosphere right on; making a mockery of the current ‘mainstream’ metal scene in an almost funny way and hell yeah, they are entitled to, considering what the metal scene has come down to lately.

While I had some problems with Sven the Axe’s vocals on their debut album, I must admit that he now sounds better. I don’t really know whether this is due to the fact that the album lacks real melodic ballads or simply because I’ve gotten used to his twisted heavy metal vocals. It doesn’t really matter. Fact is, Sven does a good job and gives the music an authentic touch.

Without really changing anything Solemnity seems to have discovered their own sound on King Of Dreams. This time I don’t have the feeling that they copy other bands and the material is highly enjoyable if you like true metal.

From straightforward sing-along metal tracks like “Kill The Majesty” and “Heart Of A Raven” to more complex work like “Vampire`s Dance”, it’s all straight on the mark and Solemnity manage to impress me. This band still sounds untouched by the commercial taint that already has ruined so many other heavy metal acts. Something that certainly speaks to their advantage. Add to that the excellent cover artwork of Ken Kelly and one can only conclude that Solemnity is a rising star in the true metal scene.

My only complaint: another hidden track. I really don’t understand what the deal is with these tracks. Sure, the song is funny as hell and just like on Reign In Hell, Solemnity totally screw up one of the songs (“Fire In Mainstreamland” ) in a grotesque twisted way. Singer Sven howls with the best German accent he can manage. The problem is that you have to dig your way through several minutes of silence to hear it. This is all perfectly fine for once, but after multiple times listening to the CD it becomes tedious very quickly.