Review Summary: Solterra: A band with potential that lacks the spark that could really make them stand out.
After listening to every one of Solterras songs the overall feeling I get is forgetful. While solterra does have a few high points in several of their songs, each one is simply too similar to the others for any of them to particularly stand out. On top of this I found that most of the songs were lacking in theme and overall feeling and progression of the song. As an instrumental band solterra really needs to have their music pop, and they just dont quite reach the level they need.
Solterra has a lot of variation in music, as well as change in feeling, tone, and genre, however these changes arent implemented as well as they could be. There are several points in many of solterras songs that begin to up the ante, or the epicness, but they never quite reach the level I as listener would hope for. Solterra seems to have a knack for ending their buildups exactly how the listener doesnt want, making them seem not like buildups at all. Highs and lows are an important part to every song, and without them a song is only good for someone who is heavily stoned.
The second main issue with Solterra is their overall lack of theme in the songs. Nearly ever song is over six minutes long, and yet there seems to be no significant reason to this length or to the song names. The songs never climax to anything nor do they elicit an emotion i would associate with the title. This isnt true for all the songs, like "the wastes" for example. That song seems to have a heavier feeling you would associate with wastes, but overall the points seem to be lost. Also many of the songs seem to progress in a way that doesnt make much sense. They dont really build up and change into something more intense, sad, happy, etc., rather just shift completely on the fly. Occasionally a song will completely jump genres, like from jazz to rock, without a second of warning. While this could potentially be a cool effect to a song, it isnt implemented with enough theme or build up for it to make sense or add the surprise factor; its more just confusing. Solterra really needs to work on their theme and buildup to help make their songs stand out, not just from one another, but from all other bands.
This leads to the final critique of Solterra in that their music simply doesnt stand out enough. After listening to every single one of their songs I honestly cant even remember where one started and where another ended. This is difficult of an instrumental band, but I couldnt place any of their songs with their corresponding titles nor could I particularly remember I single standout part of any song. This is a pretty big issue as standing out as a band is one of the most important factors to becoming big. These songs need to have their themes and riffs focused down into conciser blocks of music that make sense, as well as are memorable. If I, as a listener, remember a part of a song that really stood out to me that I liked, not only will i come back for a second listen but i will most likely tell my friends about it as well. This is just as important to consider as any of the music being played.
Conclusion:
The good: Solterra does have many good sounds and musical talent with lots of potential. They are a decent band if all you are looking for is background music, or if you want to get high and chill. They have decent sound quality and the occasional cool guitar riff.
The bad: Solterra lacks anything that makes them stand out. Songs lack themes and buildup, as well as sound too similar to one another.
