Pray

Solstice is perhaps the most overlooked band in Florida death metal history. With such an overwhelming glut of bands choking out the scene, it isn't surprising that some outstanding outfits missed the boat in terms of visibility, sales, touring opportunities, and acclaim. Solstice, being a somewhat patchwork band with line-up instability, struggled mightily to get noticed. While their first record caught the tail end of death metal's initial wave of popularity, "Pray" unveiled itself far too late in the game, quickly disappearing from memory -- a true and unfortunate injustice.

If history hasn't been particularly kind to Solstice in one way, it sure has favored them in another -- their music has aged incredibly well. The music on "Pray" absolutely slays. It is stark raving mad, frothing at the mouth with both anger and ambition. A lone beacon in the dark metal night of the mid-90's, it is practically an anomaly -- forward thinking death/thrash with a tempered maturity in both songwriting and execution that has absorbed the nuances of experimentation and groove without being overwhelmed by them. Had this record been released a few years earlier, it would easily have been hailed a minor masterpiece.

"The Unseen" opens like jackhammers, unleashing torrents of blasting thrash. It's an impressive start, leveling all preconceptions of thrash and death having stagnated by the mid-90's. In this song alone, Solstice uncoils accentuating blast beats, snaking thrash lines, crushing mid-tempo grooves, and wildly good solos, all of which alternate between precise technical dexterity and restless, reckless abandon. "All Life Lost" demonstrates how the groove that drowned bands like Exhorder and Pantera can be put to good use, accentuating rather than dominating the structure. Each song is great. There's not a filler in the bunch. Everything is well honed, offering a steady diet of excellent metal slightly tweaked with advanced songwriting.

The title track, however, is my favorite. It is unique and unconventional in its approach yet retains all the elements of classic death metal. The bass anchors the center as the guitars (panned hard to each side) ride the crest of the bass's pummeling wave, alternating sides and playing off-time to each other in subtle variations. The drums anchor everything in solid time, creating a swirling vortex of heaviness and speed that few other bands of this era could match. By the time the crashing double-bass kicks in and the guitars have realigned, the punishing wave of heaviness breaks on the walls of a wickedly brief solo. The whole song is masterful, one of my favorite pieces of death metal.

The production on this record is fuckin' intense. The guitars sound thick and sharp. Like a serrated knife, they cleave down to the bone yet leave jagged chunks of flesh behind. The experiments with hard panning on several of the songs also pays off dividends. In another deviation from the standard metal production job, the bass is cranked way up in the mix, locked down solid in the center of the sound. The bass drives everything, it has a harsh clanking sound, really abrasive and heavy. Some might find this irritating. I happen to love it. The drums are tight and deep in the mix. The snare sound is a little weak but it's a minor defect in an otherwise perfect production job.

If you happen on a copy of "Pray," grab it. It is truly a lost classic of exceptional Florida death metal.