Solace – Further (25th Anniversary Expanded Edition)

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · October 23, 2025

Solace is a heavy stoner/ doom metal band originating in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The band formed in 1996 and the current lineup consists of Justin Daniels on guitars, Tim Schoenleber on drums, Mike Sicaon on bass, Justin Goins on vocals, and original founding member, Tommy Southard on guitars. Their list of recordings includes: 1999’s Jersey Devils (Split with Solarized), 2000’s Further, 2003’s 13, 2004’s Blackmarket/ Hammerhead Split with Greatdayforup, 2007’s The Black Black, 2010’s AD, 2017’s Bird Of Ill Omen 7”, and 2019’s The Brink. The band is currently in the studio working on their next album, slated for an early 2026 release date.

Magnetic Eye Records has released the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Further, on August 22nd 2025. Fully remastered and containing a few bonus tracks. Further sounds as devastating and powerful today as it did over two and a half decades ago. The new expanded addition of Further contains fourteen tracks, clocking in over an hour and a half of music. Their Bandcamp page write up states: “25 years, a quarter of a century, is a very long time in the life of any human being. And maybe even more so, in the lifespan of a recording of music. Yet Further by American stoner metal band Solace, first released at the turn of the millennium, has stood the test of time. Its tracks feel just as contemporary and relevant as in the year 2000. A 25th anniversary is a great occasion for an enhanced, extended, and re-mastered edition of a timeless classic, but this much-deserved reissue was already decided upon when original Solace singer Jason L. sadly passed away in January 2025. This turns the new edition of Further into an unplanned but due tribute to his legacy and everything that Jason brought to the band during his formative years as their tortured and brilliant frontman. Solace are celebrated veterans of the American metal scene. Hailing from Asbury Park, New Jersey at the windswept shore of the Western Atlantic, the band was founded in 1996. Built on a solid foundation of classic metal, early doom and punk ethic, the original four-piece infused a healthy dose of hardcore fury into grooving, grinding sludge. Solace call their amalgamation of doom and heavy metal with hardcore elements dirt metal, while elsewhere it has been somewhat tongue-in-cheekily dubbed shorecore. Others file the New Jersey five-piece under stoner metal – and in truth, all these descriptions fit to an extent. Raise a glass to Jason’s legacy and enjoy his outstanding performance on Solace’s debut album Further that has been diligently and respectfully remastered to shine brighter than ever before!”

I am still blown away on how amazing the music still sounds today and holds up from the test of time, some 25 years later. From the intro that begins “Man Dog” into the colossal song that it is, Solace has always been a top notch band for me since the very first time that I heard them. “Black Unholy Ground”, “Followed”, and the ripping “Whistle Pig” are all fantastic songs that aged very well, compared to many albums that were released in the early millennium. Further is one of those records that never gets old for me. The songs are so well crafted and written that every time that I hear it, it still sounds fresh and interesting. “Hungry Mother” and “Angels Dreaming” are examples of the sheer talent and brilliance that the band are able to produce and deliver. The combination of heavy riff-centric music that blends in heavy metal, hardcore, and doom, with melody alike, is quite remarkable. The stellar drumming, bass, and unrelenting guitar rhythms and leads are all in full bloom. Jason’s voice was so dynamic and powerful and really made the music stand out from anything else being produced back then. Songs like “Suspicious Tower” and “Heavy Birth/ 2-Fisted” are masterful in their respective forms and aged like a fine wine.

The album includes a triad of cover songs, two of which were on the original pressing, “Another Life” from hardcore legends Agnostic Front and “We Bite” by the iconic Misfits. However, one of the bonus songs on this anniversary edition is the excellent Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, “On The Hunt”. The other bonus tracks included are “Heavy Birth/ 2-Fisted (Distanced From Reality Version)”, “Dirt”, and a live James Gang cover of “Funk # 49 (Live in Tokyo’98)”. Those last three tracks were originally released in 1999 on the Jersey Devils Split.

Solace are a band that needs to be heard because they rule! They are one of the true pioneers in the heavy underground music scene. The band has faced many trials and tribulations throughout their lengthy career and have been on and off for many years now. The fact that they are still making music today is truly a gift. The 25th anniversary of Further is a special reminder on how devastating and exceptional this band is. All of their albums hold a special place in my heart. I even did a Top 5 on Friday post, ranking their albums (check it out here) but Further is where it all really came together and signaled to the world that Solace had arrived. I have been listening to their music for over twenty years now and I am still amazed and grateful that they are still together and creating such masterful songs.