{"id":907145,"date":"2026-04-20T16:38:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T16:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/907145\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T16:38:39","slug":"review-einar-solberg-vox-occulta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/907145\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Einar Solberg – Vox Occulta"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\"\"Album art by: Dani Copelli<\/a><\/p>\n

Style: Progressive metal, symphonic metal, modern classical (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Leprous, Devin Townsend, Hans Zimmer
Country: Norway
Release date: 24 April 2026<\/p>\n

The idea of going solo is a little counterintuitive in a genre like prog where bands dominate the scene. Figures like Devin Townsend<\/strong> and Steven Wilson<\/strong> have dabbled both in group and solo projects but have been such bold personalities as to dominate their band projects regardless. Leprous <\/strong>frontman Einar Solberg<\/strong> rather unfairly faced criticism that his main band had become little more than a solo project with recent releases\u2014an accusation that was largely refuted by Solberg\u2019s solo debut 16 in 2023. The multifaceted outing spanned a wide range of genres and experiments as Solberg began to feel out his solo sound, and probably the most significant throughline was the widespread use of symphonic backing.<\/p>\n

If orchestra was the blood of 16, it\u2019s the beating heart of Vox Occulta, Solberg\u2019s solo sophomore. Many artists attempt orchestral projects but so often the orchestra is relegated to mere accompaniment. For Solberg, however, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra<\/strong> are perhaps the most vital players, and the rock instruments are subsumed into the orchestral forest rather than standing in their own clearing. Chris Baum (Bent Knee<\/strong>) towers a little higher on lead violin duties; meanwhile, guitar duties are shared between Pierre Danel (Novelists<\/strong>), Ben Levin (ex-Bent Knee<\/strong>), and John Browne (Monuments<\/strong>). The team is rounded out by Jed Lingat on bass, and Keli Gu\u00f0j\u00f3nsson (Agent Fresco<\/strong>) dominating drums. This core group never overwhelms in the mix, clearly audible but wending their way under the orchestra with knotty riffs, like root systems under a canopy of strings and woodwinds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Solberg utilises the whole of his expansive vocal range on Vox Occulta, spanning beseeching falsetto, half-whispers, and even significant use of his latterly absent harsh vocals. Indeed, this is the most we\u2019ve heard of Solberg\u2019s growls since The Congregation, culminating in the full-throated mid-section on \u201cVita Fragilis\u201d and the cathartic resolution on \u201cGrex\u201d. Meanwhile, the more melodic and restrained \u201cSerenitas\u201d, built around a gently rising scale motif, sees Solberg push his falsetto to its limit at the climactic release, and features a gorgeously bluesy guitar solo. The loping strings and thunderous brass of the title track prove a positively Zimmerian opening to a more Broadway style track; one imagines Solberg crouched like Batman only to stand up and start projecting with broad hand gestures as skronky djent plumbs beneath galloping strings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In its more metal moments, Adam Noble\u2019s mix never loses sight of the orchestral elements, blending lead guitars deftly into harmonies with the strings (\u201cGrex\u201d), and allowing Danel and Lingat\u2019s riffs to thrum along in the place where the bassoons and tubas usually lay, without any of these textures ever becoming lost. With co-production from Solberg and David Castillo, the trio use negative space sublimely, allowing for all sorts of embellishments to layer into the whole such as a sudden xylophone remark leading into the heavier section of \u201cVita Fragilis\u201d or the syncopated backing vocal accents on \u201cLiberatio\u201d. Vox Occulta\u2019s lustre is to die for and allows its ensemble to shine across the record.<\/p>\n

Countless breathtaking moments cluster Vox Occulta: the cascading string arpeggios that animate \u201cLiberatio\u201d falling in Poissonian rainform while an off-kilter \u201cMirage\u201d-esque riff beneath, the nasty clean bass groove lumbering up and down in the background of \u201cMedulla\u201d, the Holstian jubilance of the orchestra post vituperative climax of \u201cVita Fragilis\u201d, the incredible vocal control and deft restraint Solberg demonstrates on closer \u201cAnima Lucis\u201d\u2026 From minor textural highlights to Solberg\u2019s consistently and unsurprisingly brilliant vocal work, we could be here for the rest of the review discussing Vox Occulta\u2019s myriad apogees, but instead we need to talk about \u201cGrex\u201d, a career highlight for Solberg. Opening with a mournful violin solo, the track progresses through a number of identities: a lead guitar\/string duet, a Guthrie Govan<\/strong>-esque guitar solo, and a quiet operatic requiem. But it\u2019s the off-kilter guitar motif reminiscent of \u201cThe Sky is Red\u201d which grabs attention at the halfway point, a seeming non-sequitur that foreshadows the track\u2019s apocalyptic climax to come. When the song eventually explodes, it\u2019s into a nasty groove as Solberg alternately implores and screams \u2018a silence far too loud, I march into the crowd\u2019\u2014the singer self-atomising into the fray with bittersweet acceptance as tenebrous strings overlay a rhythm section that threatens to collapse under the weight of its own seismicity.<\/p>\n

Any critiques to be levelled at Vox Occulta are largely structural. At the macro level, the album\u2019s pacing is a little off, front-loading the record with the more dynamic cuts and cluttering the second half with all the tracks that demand listener patience. A little rearrangement would have left Vox Occulta more balanced and with the softer\u2014and arguably weaker\u2014tracks (\u201cSerenitas\u201d, \u201cAnima Lucis\u201d) better contrasted. At the micro level, it\u2019s down to some traditional Solbergisms (those good ol\u2019 backing whoas and ohs) and Solberg\u2019s love of abrupt endings\u2014many-a-track on 16 just stopped, and the trend continues on Vox Occulta. Unfortunately, these abrupt cut-offs only feel impactful in moderation, and many times, particularly on closer \u201cAnima Lucis\u201d, tracks feel a touch incomplete for the suddenness of their conclusion. These are minor issues, none really detracting from the ambition and spectacle of Vox Occulta, but nevertheless signalling some missed potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A solo release is rarely ever completely solo, but it\u2019s testament to Einar Solberg\u2019s<\/strong> talent and taste that he assembled such a team to bring to life this opus. Holistic in vision, flawlessly produced, and emotionally bracing, Solberg has delivered a truly ambitious work of theatrical, orchestral metal that can stand toe-to-toe with the genre\u2019s titans.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Vox Occulta, Vita Fragilis, Grex
You may also like: Meer<\/a>, Raphael Weinroth-Browne<\/a>, Harry Stafylakis<\/a>
Final verdict: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: InsideOut Music<\/a> <\/p>\n

Einar Solberg<\/strong> is:
\u2013 Einar Solberg (vocals, keys, piano)
\u2013 Jed Lingat (bass)
\u2013 Keli Gu\u00f0j\u00f3nsson (drums)
\u2013 Pierre Danel (guitar)
\u2013 Ben Levin (guitar)
\u2013 John Browne (guitar)
\u2013 Chris Baum (violin)
\u2013 The Norwegian Radio Orchestra<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n