heavy-metal-darkness: Heretoir | Solastalgia

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Heretoir | Solastalgia | AOP Records

Heretoir is a German band formed in 2006, originally created as the musical vision of David Conrad. Over time, the project evolved from a solo endeavor into a full band, bringing together musicians who share the same outlook on expressing emotions through heavy, atmospheric, and deeply personal music. Known for their fusion of post-black metal, post-rock, and elements of modern metal, Heretoir have always focused on themes of loss, grief, and humanity’s relationship with the world. Their music stands as a mirror to modern existence, translating inner struggles and external chaos into powerful soundscapes.

“Solastalgia” continues this journey, offering an hour-long exploration of both environmental and personal themes. The title itself refers to the distress caused by environmental change, a concept that resonates strongly throughout the album. Heretoir transform this idea into music that is both heavy and fragile, destructive and uplifting at the same time.

Across the eleven tracks, the band weaves together trembling guitar lines, massive wall-of-sound riffs, and dynamic drumming with anguished screams and soft, sorrowful passages. Songs like “The Ashen Falls” and “You Are The Night” create an atmosphere where despair meets beauty, while tracks such as “Rain” and “Dreamgatherer” bring moments of fragile reflection. The inclusion of additional instruments like flute, piano, and chimes expands the emotional range of the album, giving it a broader texture without breaking its overall intensity.

The sound remains firmly rooted in post-black metal, yet Heretoir explore different directions, blending modern metal aggression with post-rock expansiveness and even elements that touch upon screamo intensity. It feels vast and intimate at the same time, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in shifting layers of melancholy and fleeting sparks of hope. The final inclusion of “Metaphor,” originally written by Jesper Strömblad and Björn Gelotte for In Flames, ties the album to a wider musical lineage while fitting naturally into the flow of Heretoir’s vision.

“Solastalgia” is an album that hurts, but in its pain, it creates a strange sense of comfort. It reflects grief, loss, and uncertainty, yet carries an undercurrent of resilience. With contributions from guest musicians and carefully crafted production, it becomes one of the most emotionally charged works in the band’s history.

Score: 8.3