### Solstice: Solstice

#### 04/08/09 || Habakuk

Ahh, Florida. Here we go again, once more a couple of guys that have played in a shitload of other bands assemble to form yet another band as if an entire scene named after their state wasn’t enough. Today online a couple of ‘tards seem to still follow that idea. And their definition of good is disputable, to say the least.

So, what do we have here? First of all, an Ed Repka cover. Good. Next, the band members’ resume reads quite impressive. References include Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, Demolition Hammer, Cannibal Corpse, Cynic and a couple more. So, not much can go wrong with this, you think? Absolutely right. Well, if the only band you like of the above is Cynic, then you probably will be disappointed. No technical wankery or spaced-out vocals this time. The latter are actually handled by Rob Barrett, yes, the world famous death metal legend guitar player. OK, he’s not that special, but still, you won’t have to worry about the guitars, that’s for sure. Loads of riffs, riffs, triplet riffs, riffs. This was released the same year that he helped spawn “Retribution”, after all. His vocals are nothing to be ashamed of, either. He’s nowhere near as frantic, but as far as the overall tone is concerned, a Brett Hoffmann comparison stands to reason. You know, that filthy bellowing that is a bit too high-pitched for being pure death metal, but then again is pretty awesome. Yeah fine, you say, but isn’t that a bit much Malevolent Creation? Fuck you, I say, Alex Marquez is on drums and he and Barrett actually wrote all their songs together. And the answer is no. It’s 1992, there is no such thing as “a bit much Malevolent Creation”, since the concept hasn’t been invented yet. Solstice has just the right amount of it, taking a lot of the good stuff but not turning into a rip-off, since this here is quite a bit thrashier in its mixture of groovy, relatively bass-heavy death/thrash than the violent offspring from Ft. Lauderdale.

Throughout the album, Marquez’ drumming including some outstanding doublebass work ensures that despite the thrash vibe there still is more than enough of the trademark Florida death groove to be found. As always, the guy is absolutely spot-on and definitely a highlight of the album. For a taste of it, just check out “Cleansed of impurity” from 1:40 onwards. Awesomeness played on two kick drums. Mark van Erp on bass also shows a strong performance, and the fact that he actually can be heard helps a lot. Unlike on the follow-up, the bass doesn’t sound as up-front and twangy though, providing the guitars with some more muchly deserved space. And while the production is technically Morrisound, it actually sounds a lot crisper than most of the studio’s contemporary efforts like the balls of wool that are the first Monstrosity or Malevolent Creation albums. The lyrics are a bit more on the “fuck authority”-side, which is alright but nothing all too special.

Now while this is a pretty uncompromising serving of death-thrashing metal mania, in some parts it shines through that this band also gave its members the opportunity to include a couple of ideas that would look a bit out of place on their main bands’ albums. Things like the beginning to “Netherworld” with some hints of synthesizers or the well-executed Carnivore cover of “S.M.D.” are muchly appreciated by me since they help to structure the album, which usually turns out to be a bit of problem with riff-fests like this.

To wrap this up, if you haven’t gotten it yet: If you like old school Florida death metal in general or “Retribution”-era Malevolent Creation in particular, you’re definitely gonna like this. It seems to me that this band is generally pretty much overlooked. Your chance to make a difference.

- Information
- Released: 1992
- Label: Century Media
- Website: Solstice MySpace
- Band
- Rob Barrett: vocals, guitars
- Dennis Munoz: guitars
- Mark van Erp: bass
- Alex Marquez: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Transmogrified
- 02. Cleansed of impurity
- 03. Eternal waking
- 04. Survival reaction
- 05. S.M.D.
- 06. Netherworld
- 07. Plasticized
- 08. Cataclysmic outburst
- 09. Aberration