SOLSTICE- SOLSTICE
I have never encountered a vicious, thrash/death monster so wonderfully executed on this piece (maybe Exhorder may be a viable claim, but only a very pale comparison). What we have hear is a very shamefully underrated brutal, old-school release from Solstice, a four piece band comprised of Rob Barret, Alex Marquez, Dennis Munoz, and Mark van Erp. Half of their members went on to bigger, better projects such as Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse, and it is a rather safe assumption that some of the music presented on this album sounds remarkably similar to those previous couple of bands that I have mentioned. Some of that good old early Malevolent Creation power can be detected in many of the songs on this album (pay close attention to the vicious guitar riffs on "Cleansed of Impurity", "Eternal Waking", and "Plasticized"), in fact many of the songs on their self-titled album could very well fit into the classic Retribution album, but I wouldn't go so fast as to call Solstice a Malevolent Creation clone just yet, let us analyze a bit here.
This monster gets the ball rolling with "Transmogrified", a scorching death/thrash opener of the highest level of Floridian brutality. This song is a wonderful opener, and I often repeat it when I listen to this album. This old school death brutality lasts for about a minute or so before the songs changes gear into a thrash/death hybrid when Rob Barret's NYC hardcore-esque vocals kick in. "Cleansed of Impurity" is a better song than the opener, having many fascinating, brilliant crunchy guitar leads more and a level of brutality that only Malevolent Creation can equal. "Eternal Waking" is one of my favorite songs on the entire album, having one of the most fascinating solos I have ever heard in my life somewhere along the bridge. "Survival Reaction" is another solid song on here, being another above-average death metal offering. "S.M.D." is probably the album's weakest entry; its a rather lame punk rock cover of an albeit unimportant New York hardcore band; it seems innappropriate and rather out of place in a thrash/death band. "Netherworld" is another solid song, having one of the most moody, melodic intros that kind of remind me of that other moody melodic intro in Obituary's title song "Cause of Death" (listen to those two songs back to back, and you will hear what I am talking about). "Plasticized" is another prime example of why I think Solstice sounds like Malevolent Creation, the raw power heard throughout the song musically reminds me of something that should be on Retribution or Stillborn, probably the former album. "Cataclysmic Outburst" is another good death metal offering, this song gets so crazy and almost technical; I hear an Atheist or early Cynic type of guitar technicality on this song, primarily in the first minute or so (very good solo by the way somewhere along the 1:35 mark). This death metal beast closes with "Aberration", another one of my favorites from the album due to the fact that its fucking awesome headbanging material right from the beginning.
The guitars sound wonderfully distorted and crunchy, giving the songs an added heavy sound. Rob Barret and Dennis Munoz are wonderful death metal guitarists, which is no surprise Rob Barret jumped on Malevolent Creation and later Cannibal Corpse bandwagon. But I think the greatest guitarist here is James Murphy (a mere guest or an unofficial fifth member) , providing some of the most creatively melodic guitar solos I have ever heard in my life (listen to his contributions in "Cleansed of Impurity", "Eternal Waking", "Survival Reaction"). Alex Marquez's drumwork is fascinating, as he knows when to use blast beasts at the appropriate moment and doesn't really overpower all the other musicians ("Transmogrified", "Aberration"), very unlike the over-blasting of Mike Smith or Flo Mounier. Mark van Erp's bass is barely audible in the mix, but his bass is reduced to nothing more than a supporting role, or an extra (even worse). But his bass gives the songs that roaring thunder quality to most of the songs.
Rob Barret's vocals are somewhat of an acquired taste, they are very different from most early-nineties death metal grunters. They are regrettably more akin to modern metalcore/deathcore (I guess they were considered an "original" take on death metal vocals back then). I also hear shades of early Brett Hoffman in the man's voice as well, since the vocals are not a growl, but a very harsh bark or roar. I can also sense a level of anger/hatred in his vocal attack and delivery, which brings his vocals up a notch or so. They take some very serious getting used to, but I learned to appreciate them.
There's also a very savage "urban ghetto hardcore" flavor and attitude in the music, both musically and lyrically. Just listen to the New York hardcore-based guitar riffs and the vocals. I am not sure if the band was trying to make a statement or self-portrait out of their urban background or not, but it gives the songs on the album an extra punch, since they sound almost heartfelt.
I highly recommend this album to anyone into early, old school death metal, especially fans of early Malevolent Creation. Hell, even thrash or hardcore fans will enjoy this album. It's a perfect hybrid album. Buy this!