ALBUM REVIEW - SOLENCE – ANGELS CALLING
- HARRY K
- Nov 19
- 2 min read
WORDS HARRY K
SOLACE
"ANGELS CALLING"
Out Now
Electronic Metal’s Great Optimists Shoot For Stadium Glory
On Angels Calling, Swedish electronic-metal outfit SOLENCE sound like a band aiming far beyond their cult following. Now based in Los Angeles and armed with a sharpened sense of ambition, they deliver a record that merges big-screen synths, melodic metal guitars and choruses engineered to detonate in the heads of anyone within earshot. It’s polished, punchy, and—at times—surprisingly earnest.
The album’s core theme is simple but sincere: life is short, so squeeze meaning out of every last moment. It’s hardly revolutionary subject matter, but SOLENCE approach it with enough conviction to avoid falling into cliché. Frontman Markus Videsäter’s vocals play a huge role here. His tone, warm and dramatic, sits somewhere between emotional pop and alt-metal theatrics, giving the record a wide emotional palette.
The title track “Angels Calling” sets the tone with its shimmering synth washes and a chorus built for festival sunset slots. It’s SOLENCE at their most cinematic, and one of the album’s strongest arguments for why their electronic-metal hybrid could resonate with a much bigger audience.
“Monsters in My Head” pushes into more introspective territory, tackling intrusive thoughts and mental clutter with a hook so sweet it could slip onto mainstream rock radio without raising eyebrows. Meanwhile, “Dead_Alive” is the album’s heaviest psychological punch: a grim reflection on a world sleepwalking toward collapse, wrapped in roaring guitars and pounding percussion.
As ever with SOLENCE, the production is immaculate—glossy without feeling plastic, heavy without losing clarity. You can hear every synth shimmer and drum hit carve out its place in the mix. And when they lean fully into their electronic side, they never drown out the metal foundations beneath.
Still, Angels Calling isn’t without its limitations. The band’s love for grandiosity occasionally outruns their songwriting, leaving a couple breakdowns and transitions feeling slightly abrupt, as if the ideas were sketched rather than fully painted in. And although the album is consistently strong, it lacks the one undeniable, culture-cracking hit that pushes a band into their next era.
But perhaps that’s coming—and maybe this album is the set-up for it. Because Angels Calling makes one thing clear: SOLENCE have grown into a band with the ambition, sound, and emotional clarity to break well beyond their electronic-metal niche.
A bold, hyper-polished, emotionally charged record that edges SOLENCE closer to the mainstream spotlight. Imperfect, yes—but packed with moments that hint at even bigger things ahead.
Rating: 4/5
TRACK LISTING
1. Angels Calling
2. Monsters In My Head
3. Where Were You..?
4. MESS
5. <alive
6. Dead_Alive
7. Wish You The Worst
8. Dangerous To Love
9. All of the Pain Must Go
10. Angels vs Demons
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