Solanum or "nightshades" is the generic name for a variety of plants most of which are terminally toxic; in particular, black nightshade (Atropa Belladonna in Latin) is a subshrub of the Solanaceae family, whose poison is used in medicine to enlarge the pupils of the eyes - an effect provoked naturally by darkness itself, as vision strives to adapt to it.
This word/notion game between shadow and poison creates an extremely intriguing web of connotations: night is identified with poison - its influence also alters perception, causing optical illusions or even hallucinations. The absence of light gives a monstrous aspect to things, shadows come alive and the sly venom of dark, unsettling feelings impregnates mind and soul.
First shadow raises the curtains to this frightening and seductive/addictive shadowplay of emotions intensified in the dark (strangely enough, since I seriously doubt this was an actual reference on the composer's part, its melody reminded me vaguely of Marc Almond's Black Lullabye). Parasit continues the grim journey in more or less the same spirit - a horrifying allegory of having one's heart eaten from the inside - while Ewigkeit (Eternity) complements the pure beauty of its instrumentation with an imposing musical theme and haunting whispers in the background.
Estuanius and Winter are familiar Die Schatten themes, a variation of the former included in the album Estuans Interius and of the latter in Yggdrasil. The baritone vocals in Estuanius serve perfectly as a dramatic representation of barely suppressed rage (estuans interius ira vehementi is a Latin phrase roughly translated as "boiling inside with violent fury"), alleviated by the almost chilling perfection of Winter. Amboss (Anvil) and Nimmersatt, together with the final, eponymous track - Solanum - make a powerful statement with their intense, persisting melodies and lyrics.
A truly remarkable work on all aspects, with a special mention for the marvellous printable booklet accompanying the album.
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