On August 22, 2025, Stoner Doom veterans, SOLACE, reissue their 2000 debut, Further, on its 25^th anniversary via Magnetic Eye Records. Sadly, it also serves as an unplanned tribute to original vocalist Jason L. who passed away in January 2025. Promo material notes that the album has stood the ‘test of time’ and they aren’t wrong. If Further were to drop today as a brand-new album it would undoubtedly be heralded as one of best albums of the year. As reissue, it could still hold that honor.

2025 Further isn’t just a reissue, it is a re-mastered edition of the 2000 Further as well as a collection of six bonus tracks. The bonus tracks include covers from IRON MAIDEN, THE MISFITS, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, and THE JAMES GANG plus reissue tracks from several splits. Altogether, that’s 14 tracks for over 90 minutes of play time.

The remastered tracks of Further are, of course, brighter and richer than the originals. The album itself takes us up and down the Stoner Doom scale kicking off with heavy rockers “Man Dog” and “Black Unholy Ground” only to mire us in the swamp with “Followed.” From there the pattern continues: heavy and hard to heavy and slow, rinse and repeat a few times ending on heavy and hard. The cycle is then broken with the cover tracks.

My favorites from the remastered tracks are the aforementioned “Man Dog” and “Black Unholy Ground” as well “Suspicious Towers” which opens with a spoken word snippet lifted from the 1962 sci-fi classic, The Creation of Humanoids. I usually dislike spoken word splices in music, but as an intro this instance is less intrusive. Also, this particular dialogue is actually intriguing. Made me hit the pause button and say “ugh,” which only slightly alarmed my cat. My favorite amongst these is “Another Life” from IRON MAIDEN’s Killers and “On the Hunt” from LYNYRD SKYNRYD’s third album.

To be honest, I missed Further the first time around. Not sure what I was doing in 2000—Raising kids and trying to keep a roof over my head or some nonsense like that. Thankfully, I have no excuse this time. Time, however, hasn’t worn out this album. It’s as relevant and compelling today as it must have been 25 years ago.