Emerging Artist Reviews

Album Review: Soldiers of Forgiveness "The Year of Aquarius: Only Poetry Lives Forever"

by The Metalverse

Updated January 25, 2026

Album Review: Soldiers of Forgiveness "The Year of Aquarius: Only Poetry Lives Forever"

Soldiers of Forgiveness was formed in 2020 following frustration with division and hate in the world. The band's concept revolves around the idea of a dystopian board game played between love, hate, and time, and each of the band's albums represents a "round" of this game. Soldiers of Forgiveness is an international group with professional musicians contributing from the U.S., Argentina, Venezuela, Italy, and Portugal.

The band's 3rd album, The Year of Aquarius: Only Poetry Lives Forever, starts with Dystopian Dreams, which quickly introduces bright orchestral strings, piano melodies, and traditional heavy metal guitar riffs. Funky synth leads are brought into the mix, quickly showcasing a sound that lies somewhere between orchestral, heavy metal, and classical composure. Epic guitar solos, chiming bells, and strings deliver a theatrical introduction to the band.

Throughout the album, there are 4 interlude tracks that feature a dramatic narrator and dark, medieval taverscapes, going in-depth on the concept behind the music, which is a unique element to the band's album that shows how much thought went into the concept of the music.

Part 1: The Boy Who Only Wanted To Be A Poet begins with hard-hitting metal guitar and powerful choir hits before introducing theatrical vocals that balance storytelling and more traditional singing. The strong symphonic elements and powerful concept lyrics create a distinct sound and bring the first song with vocals into the mix.

Evil Men That Do starts with a more traditionally heavy sound than the previous tracks, as heavy guitar builds alongside gritty singing vocals. Bouncing synth arpeggios are backed by gentle strings as the atmosphere slowly builds. Bright guitar leads, humming, and slamming metal-style drums follow alongside dark instrumental patterns, creating an intense and ominous overall sound.

Unquenchable Fire begins with an energetic retro synth that cuts through the mix as racing double bass drumming, clangy bass, and harsh guitar is accented by the bands symphonic elements. This track reminded me more of thrash and power metal genres than the previous songs, showcasing another major influence across alternative genres. While dueling guitar harmonies and racing tempos have a traditional metal sound, disco synth tones and orchestral strings showcase the band's other influences, keeping things interesting.

Autumn Winds starts with melancholy vocals and a softer sound before launching into classic metal riffage, galloping drums, and harsh vocals that alternate with singing. Soldiers of Forgiveness debuts the first screaming/growling vocals of the album with this track, and it was a pleasant surprise, as I wasn't sure if they would go there. Autumn Winds features dynamics between vocal and instrumental styles that make it one of my favorites of the album so far.

Part II: The Enemy Inside starts with bright guitar leads and dramatic choirs as impactful drums create a sound that brings back the heavy symphonic/power metal sound. Soldiers of Forgiveness do an excellent job of layering orchestra, choir, and synth elements with traditional metal and storytelling to create an all-around grandiose sound.

In an interesting switch-up, Children Of The Moon brings what sounds like a classic rock riff to life, providing a total genre switch from the music thus far. A sliding bass note launches into chugging guitar and powerful vocals, transforming the song into a more traditional metal sound unexpectedly. The blend of old-school rock 'n' roll with modern metal was a fun change of course that I enjoyed.

Never Die bursts into action with an 80s-esque synth that sets a powerful tone as rolling drum fills and metal guitars jump into the song alongside the strong synth leads. Raspy vocals stand at the forefront of the mix as thrashing drum beats and syncopated guitar chugs create a dramatic sound. A bright synth solo leads into a shredding guitar solo in an epic finale.

Part III: Welcome to the Madness introduces another unexpected change of course that I quite enjoy. Bouncing horns and eccentric vocals create a clear sound that encapsulates a circus atmosphere. The capacity to suddenly change genres and soundscapes is one of my favorite parts of the album, feeling as though the listener is traveling from song to song to different scenes and times in history.

Part IV: Where The Madness Reigns starts with a piano piece as distant strings harmonize with the keys to create a melodic sound that sets the tone for the rest of the song. At just over 12 minutes, this is by far the longest track of the album, and it uses the song length to slowly build into action. Soft vocals suddenly introduce bursts of circus theatrics, distorted guitar, and haunting, echoed vocal harmonies. The song builds into full metal intensity as the vocals become deranged and even introduce maniacal laughter to the fray.

Part V: Only Poetry Lives Forever starts similarly to the last track, with a piano section accompanied by gentle strings. Soon, singing is introduced as thumping bass makes way for heavy guitar and more aggressive vocals. Upbeat piano accents the theatrical vocals, continuing the band's symphonic elements. Soaring, operatic singing reminds me heavily of power metal, bringing the song's energy to the ceiling.

The Dance of the Owls threw me for a loop, beginning with upbeat guitar and strings that create a sound that reminded me of a mariachi band. The electric guitar backs up the liveliness of the mariachi-style guitar and really switches things up, creating a completely new sense of location through the music. This was one of the most memorable tracks of the album, to me.

The final song Illusions And Dreams starts with chiming lullaby instrumentals as main female vocals are brought to the front of the song for the first time. Gentle strings and piano soon make way for heavier guitar as the male vocals and a metal sound is thrown back into the mix. Funky synth leads match guitar harmonies as the song's dynamic suddenly changes, bursting with increased energy. In a final outro, the song goes back to the earlier lullaby melodies as it fades out.

Overall, The Year of Aquarius: Only Poetry Lives Forever is an ambitious album that shares excellent lyricism and conceptual storytelling while transporting the listener to vastly different soundscapes. I think Soldiers of Forgiveness have created an exciting 3rd album, and I found the songs that provided a drastic change in "musical scenery" to be my favorites.

You can stream The Year of Aquarius, available on Bandcamp now!