I first saw London, Ontario based metal band Solarus at Hyperspace Metal Festival in Vancouver, BC, in April 2025. They were a new band to me as of a month prior to that Fest, and I fell in love with “A Dance of Tragedy,” their 2022 full length album. In fact, I couldn’t get enough of it, loving its heavier symphonic nature with progressive undertones. The band’s performance at Hyperspace was phenomenal, and they even debuted a brand new song, “The Heavenly Burden,” which was even heavier and leaned more into the progressive approach. I had the opportunity to interact with them a good bit at the fest and have continued to stay in touch. Since then, the band has slowly but surely been working on their follow up to “A Dance of Tragedy,” and I have been both patiently and anxiously waiting. 

On July 10, 2026, the new album, “Of Sin and Ruin,” comes to life, and wow was it worth the wait! “The album that almost broke Sarah” is a heavy and technical slab of progressive metal rife with melodic and symphonic majesty. It punches hard out of the gate, tantalizes you with its technical precision, reels you in with its big melodies, and crushes you with its massive polyrhythmic riffing and drumming. The song compositions are multi-layered and epic, using cinematic orchestration to create big aura and atmosphere complementing the thick guitar chugs, deft lead work, and thunderous drums. Chris Demelo is dubbed “The Animal” on his Instagram profile, a very appropriate characterization. His controlled chaos behind the kit is constant and provides a solid foundation for each song. The guitar duo of founder Lucas McArthur and recently departed Troy Longe works so well, technical proficiency abounding with crushing djent, slick harmonized guitar solos, polyphony, and counter melodies colliding in a progressive tour de force. Daniel Gebczynski adds some killer bass work that ranges from thick and hefty to deft and technical. And for the one that was almost broken, Sarah Dee absolutely crushes it, perseverance reigning supreme as her vocals mesmerize in their powerful impassioned delivery. To say she shines would be the essence of understatement. Her performance is world class and one of the best I have heard in awhile, bringing everything together in stunning fashion. Her vocal performance alone is worth the price of admission, and it really sets this album apart in so many ways.

The casual listener might naively label this as symphonic metal and move on, but they would be robbing themselves of the richness this album comprises. At its core this is progressive metal, it’s head bang inducing djent kicking your teeth in as each song meanders across varied time signatures, progressions, melodies, and dynamics. The symphonic elements add a sense of bombast that complements the technical wizardry, providing the loom needed to weave the songs together in a unique way without truly taking the driver’s seat. I know that Lucas loves Meshuggah, and you can definitely hear the influence here. Throughout the album I get vibes of Meshuggah, Epica, and Sunburst, with some modern touches that remind me a bit of recent Flowerleaf, all while having that familiar Solarus feel.  

“Calamity (Prelude)” kicks things off in cinematic fashion, a simple piano melody surrounded by enveloping orchestration and an epic choir, preparing you for first full song “Close My Eyes.” This song feels like a bridge song to me between “A Dance of Tragedy” and “Of Sin and Ruin,” as it has a more classic Solarus sound and probably leans the most strongly “pure” symphonic on the album. It begins with a soaring melodic guitar lead bookended by epic orchestration that moves into a proggy flowing guitar riff. Sarah’s powerful vocals come in, eventually leading to an absolute earworm of a chorus that you will be singing long after. The song’s mid-pace is driving, and the late guitar solo is fantastic, including some really nice dueling harmonies. It is a great way to kick this album off!

“The Heavenly Burden” is the “oldest” song so to speak, at least from a public standpoint, as it was both the first song from the album played live and the first released single. Out of the gate it induces headbanging with its crushing djent, atmosphere swirling around, then transitions to Sarah’s incredible voice over simple piano and thick driving bass as the verse begins. Sarah’s voice hits so hard in the chorus, powerful and impassioned, continuing the album wide trend of melodies that can’t unstick from your grey matter. The second chorus yields to a fabulous soaring guitar solo, setting up another hefty bass-driven riff with symphonics swimming all around. Now prepare for a neck workout as all instruments converge to an extended djenty breakdown that feels bombastic with all the cinematic orchestration punching through. After nearly a minute, things shift back to a reprise of the intro enroute to one final chorus and enveloping orchestration as things end.

“The Isolate” starts with flowing synths, melding syncopated orchestration and guitars into a powerful intro that becomes the song’s base as it powers ahead, Sarah’s commanding voice demanding your attention. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the chorus really delivers, yet another melody camping in my brain accentuated by Sarah’s intoxicating delivery. I love how this song incorporates several sections of keyboard lead, adding a different dynamic over the massive chugs, while still providing plenty of space for fretastic dueling harmonies to impress your ears. The drums and bass are phenomenal, adding extra power that makes the song feel even bigger. It closes out with flowing ethereal synths, coming full circle and ending as it began.

“Unbroken” may have one of my favorite guitar riffs of the year so far. The intro is just killer with its driving chugs alternating with deft fretwork and dueling harmonies, and the powerful drum solo before Sarah comes in is phenomenal. Sarah’s vocals are bold and magnificent, and the chorus is an absolute earworm with an anthemic quality. Lucas and Troy must have had so much fun writing and playing this song, as the guitar work throughout is just fabulous and nearly nonstop, testing their finger stamina as they flow from one passage to the next. You get plenty of technical proficiency via the aforementioned intro, killer solo post the first chorus, and the one minute late extended solo with all of its fret gymnastics. Solarus then ups the ante by additionally incorporating rich musical depth, with crafty dueling harmonies and a false call and echo pattern that features a counter melody to the earlier solo in the late solo. I also love a late key change when it makes sense, and this one delivers, as does the big closing guitar salvo. This is a song I need to hear live!

“Angel Afire” has an almost Visions of Atlantis feel as it begins with its layered soaring harmonies, but the verse shifts gears and unleashes a harsh vocal assault courtesy of As Oceans Divide’s Tom Emmans. The juxtaposition of his growls to Sarah’s vocals works so well, both in the Jekyll & Hyde dynamic and his clean harmonies on the chorus. And holy crap where did that late guitar solo come from? You can smell the metal strings burning as the fingers fly through the impressive progressions. I love the drumming on this song, rife with crafty fills and technical mastery as Chris mercilessly destroys his drumheads. A late key change shows up here as well, coupled with an increase in intensity as the chorus takes the lead to the finish line, both Sarah’s and Tom’s vocals emphatic in their delivery.

“My Reckoning” features a melting pot of polyrhythmic melodic lead and bruising djent against an epic cinematic backdrop as it kicks off. I absolutely love the verse, an amalgam of nifty moving guitar parts and thunderous drumming that create a sense of urgency against Sarah’s commanding vocals, bleeding into the “in your face” chorus. I think Sarah’s performance across the entire album is so impressive, but something about this song just hits differently. She feels extra determined and free in her delivery, with a poignant quality that is stirring. The interplay between the symphonics and guitars is also special in this song, creating a soundscape that is emotive, powerful, and deep.

“Lights” is the only ballad on the album, and it is absolutely stunning. Piano and strings provide the platform for Sarah’s voice to take complete control, enchanting with her haunting melodies and impassioned delivery. The crescendo to the first chorus featuring all the instruments is chill inducing and powerful, only to be amplified further by the emotive solo immediately following. As the song tracks closer to the end, it just gets bigger and more epic, with a key change, massive symphonics, and Sarah’s emotive soaring vocals hitting so hard. Solarus knows how to punch you in the gut with heft and technical proficiency, but this song proves they are equally adept at punching just as hard with a softer blow.

Title track “Of Sin and Ruin” is the definition of an epic closer, clocking at 15 and half minutes. It begins with all the bombast, epic driving symphonics and hefty djenty guitar chugs eventually leading the way to driving drums and a soaring guitar solo. Sarah is restrained as she comes in, setting the stage for the marathon we are embarking on, except nothing about it feels laborious or overstaying its welcome (more on this in a bit). The first third of the song does a great job setting the stage, exercising patience as it develops. Just before 5 minutes, an emphatic harmonized guitar solo begins a transition section that ends with emotive vocals from Sarah. Dynamics drop and tempo slows as the piano takes over, Sarah eventually reentering with a brief haunting overture. The next section, beginning just shy of the halfway point, sounds like it is pulled straight out of a movie or large-scale video game, epic cinematics painting grandiosity as a slow build ensues. Brief off tempo guitar and drum bursts punch through, each one increasing intensity until the official breakdown arrives, building a crushing foundation for a killer guitar lead that echoes the heftier riffs. After a full minute, the song gallops ahead with Sarah behind the wheel, then reprises the earlier breakdown/guitar lead combo, with the nuance of the lead utilizing a countermelody to the first one. This is the start of a longer instrumental section composed of multiple movements featuring guitar solos and leads interconnected by cinematic keys and orchestration. Finally, around 3 minutes to go, we come full circle to the bludgeoning intro, marrying djent with symphonics, before one final extended reprise of the chorus and featured guitar lead melody carries us most of the way to the end, fading out in cinematic wonder and connecting back to the album start. What a ride! And for a 15+ minute song, it never feels long, always feeling cohesive with fabulous flow.

“Of Sin and Ruin” is a phenomenal album, and Solarus has clearly flexed their muscles and expanded their musical boundaries to craft something fresh and powerful that still maintains familiarity. You can feel the love and care that went into each song, and the album is incredibly cohesive from start to finish. This one comes with my highest recommendation.