Resolution15

"There are no guitars anywhere on this record" is not exactly the
declaration you expect to see when browsing the liner notes of a metal
album. It becomes increasingly intriguing upon first listen of this
heavy, semi-thrashy collection of prelude-to-the-apocalypse songs. If
those aren't guitars, then what are they? Get this: they're dueling
electric violins. What started out as an experiment in pushing the
limits of the instrument has evolved into an impressive endeavor for
this five piece, as they crank through 8 tracks that owe as much to
Helmet as they do to bands like Meshuggah. While the violins certainly
add a distinct angle to the proceedings, as far as the riffs go, they
sound more or less like guitars. It's the solos and small hits here
and there where the sound really becomes distinct and allows the
players to feature some tricks they would have a hard time pulling off
with a six string. However, this is no novelty act. The songs are
involved and intricate, utilizing time changes and a strong sense of
lyricism that is amplified by the spot on vocals. Capable of bending
the genres, these guys have a sense of speed and melody that makes
these songs easily accessible for fans of metal who are looking for
something a bit out of left field and truly original."
- cdbaby.com

RESOLUTION 15 will certainly be remembered for an extraordinary achievement; just like crazy old APOCALYPTICA, who broke the boundaries and the norms within the metal community and introduced cellos as a Heavy Metal instrument, RESOLUTION 15 introduce the violin to the genre! I think that the phrase “There are no guitars anywhere on this record” on the liner notes, will go down in Metal History!

Now don’t get me wrong, I can understand the use of a cello – one of the most versatile instruments in the orchestra, but the violin? How would it ever be possible to use it as a rhythm instrument, let alone try and replicate the sound of a rhythm guitar with it? Well, I guess this whole album is the living proof that the violin certainly has some “balls” and can be used in many more creative ways than we ever thought possible.

I know that there will be many disbelievers reading this review, with the usual negative feedback; It won’t last for long though, because, once the violins take center stage and start playing the usual heavy triplets, I’m sure all those “hardcore” fans will start running to the hills or simply shut up and praise! Praise, because this is a-once-in-a-lifetime offering, that I personally was very glad to have experienced.

“But how does it sound” I hear you asking me? Just like any other God-forsaken Metal album, is the honest answer; overall, you are left satisfied for listening to another great Metal release, because in the end this is what it really is. It’s really quite simple: either way you look at it, what the guitarist does with his pick, the violinist does with his bow (and boy can he perform some magic). That’s why, by the time the record finishes, you will have forgotten all about the lack of guitars and you will have concentrated on the fact that this SLAYER-TOOL-PANTERA-MESHUGGAH-ALICE IN CHAINS-METALLICA-influenced Metal band has succeeded in entering new territory and breaking the norms once again and proving to the music world that Metal is the only real diverse and limitless genre of modern music nowadays.

So, how long do you think it’ll be until we come across the following “typical”(!!) Metal band consisting of Drums, a Contrabass, a Cello, a Viola and a Violin (or even two Violins for that matter)? Not long I’m sure, and I can guarantee you that if it’s anything close to RESOLUTION 15, its going to sound like BOND on acid!!! Congratulations RESOLUTION 15!


Reviewer: Spyros Papadakis
- www.metal-invader.com

Resolution 15 is not your average band of young rebels. Take a double shot of Marxist intellectualism, stir in a little electric violin, and pour the whole thing into a heated decanter of post-thrash metal; chase with absinthe, and you start to get a sense of this group’s remarkable self-titled CD.

The album features Earl Maneein on six-string electric violin, Matt Szemela on five-string electric violin, Nick Latrick on vocals, Kenny Grohowski on drums, and John-Paul Norpoth on bass (now covered by Jim Robertson). Notice there are no guitars on the album (unless you count the bass). Don’t let that give you pause; you won’t miss them at all because these guys rip it up.

The thing that immediately stands out about all these players is the depth of their musicianship. The members of the band come from a wide range of backgrounds – from classical to jazz to rock – but there’s no doubt they’ve forged an authentic metal sound. While Resolution 15 has a huge, heavy, dark sound overall, there are beautiful melodic moments, some impressively fast drumming, and Nick Latrick’s voice has a moody, brooding center when he’s singing, and harsh edges that blend perfectly with the band when he’s screaming.

I mostly like the intensity of the album – I’ve got it cranked pretty well right now, as a matter of fact – but I’ve got a nit to pick: at some point, the intensity needs to let up for just a little so I can take a deep breath and dive back in. When the group tones down the raw, driving violins that scorch across most of the album, the lyrics tend to sound like a political treatise on the ills of the western world. Here’s a case in point:

A sea of cacophonous voices
Screaming in unified irrelevance
Incarceration of the mind
The natural result of modern life ...

So, yeah, it’s a little bombastic, but I can forgive that since Resolution 15 (both the band and the album) rocks so hard. Bottom line, this is an album that belongs in your collection, even if you’re not a metal-head. After all, everyone has days when the rule is “the harder, the better.” - indie-music.com

Resolution 15 is a startling bit of metal for your ears. Here's a band that knows how to produce originality in a context of heaviness. In addition, rather than succumbing to what for non-dedicated metalheads could be abrasive, non-listenable audio clutter, Resolution 15's heavy sound is immensely listenable and always interesting. It stays interesting and listenable by creating fascinating textures through originality and by keeping the flow exciting through frequently shifting styles. And it all moves smartly, with a natural progression, rather than as a haphazard tossing-together of random ideas to sound different without regard to the aesthetic appeal of the end result (which happens with too many well-meaning bands who are honestly trying to do something different but end up just stroking their own egos). Resolution 15, by replacing electric guitar with electric violin and by writing dynamic music that moves with smooth segues from melodic metal to hardcore to thrash, has offered up a deadly dose of creativity. Metal still has room for evolution. - www.corazine.com