The next rotation of the Solar Corona engine brings with it an expansive and intoxicating psychedelic journey: PACE.

The band’s fifth album shifts gears with the mechanized dub of Lorr No (Nuno Loureiro) taking command of the trio’s core sound—Rodrigo Carvalho (guitar/synths), Peter Carvalho (drums), José Roberto Gomes (bass)—and driving it off-road.

The raw ideas for each track were captured in Alpendurada, on the banks of the Douro. After a two-year distillation process, the riffs and foundational material reached a concentration not unlike the alchemical moonlight characteristic of northern Portugal that defines Solar Corona. Simple principles and firm mechanics are channelled into enduring journeys where speed and rhythm remain distinct.

Each track celebrates a specific element in its own way. The opening track, Heavy Metal Salts, sets the pulse of PACE, with shimmering electroacoustic details adding a dose of lysergic energy. The title track, Pace, softens Solar Corona’s sonic landscape, standing out as a spatial mantra—no riffs, no solos, no headbanging required. Guitar-led tracks like Thrust and AU return to rock’n’roll hitting the red light, a constant in the band’s veins, before being injected into their new, more ethereal sonic space. The relentless groove of Parker SP, built on bouncing bass and direct drumming, provides the launchpad for the other members to soar into other atmospheres. Alpendurada closes the album on an epic note, reflecting the band’s entrances and exits through psychedelia.

Solar Corona’s two previous works, LIGHTNING ONE and SAINT-JEAN-DE-LUZ (both released in 2019), also featured a quartet with saxophonist Julius Gabriel. Gabriel’s departure in 2020 left an open slot for Lorr No (Fugly, Favela Discos) to bring his own touch to the band’s progressive stoner identity.

PACE takes the listener on an ambitious journey. For fans of expansive rock by bands such as Endless Boogie, Circle, Pharaoh Overlord, Hawkwind, and GNOD.