Solstice - Death's Crown Is Victory - review
Solstice - Death's Crown Is Victory - review
Tracklist
01. Fortress England02. I Am The Hunter
03. Death's Crown Is Victory
04. Aequinoctium II
A review by
ScreamingSteelUS April 27, 2014
Solstice draws heavily upon classic acts like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, but with the kind of thick, heady guitars and funereally warbling vocals that make their sound unmistakably doom, not simply traditional heavy metal. Their approach, therefore, primarily mixes doom with this more old-fashioned style. Further distinguishing themselves from the pack, they also have an implicit folk tinge which manifests itself in the lofty, bard-ish voice of Paul Kearns (at times following in the footsteps of Morris Ingram's excellent Kevin Heybourne-ish performance on New Dark Age) and gallant, Thin Lizzy-esque passages. While musically Solstice eschew any overt folk tendencies, there is something distinctly medieval and English about them that adds another layer of personality to them - a distinct something which survives on Death's Crown Is Victory.
With occasional batteries of arresting guitar work and frequent use of syncopated, war-like drums, Death's Crown Is Victory remains consistently engaging throughout. Simultaneously mournful and heroic, this EP never tires or loses its edge, making the most out of its overall brevity. As far as doom goes, this release falls on the more uplifting end of the spectrum. It isn't exactly cheery (and what metal band is?), but at the same time it doesn't wallow in desolate misery. The label "epic doom" seems very apt; these songs mainly smack of doom, to be sure, but with a pervasive expansiveness and grandiloquence that transcend any one descriptor.
This is really an album in miniature, rather than a sampler or something to tide over listeners until the next full-length release; this is a journey that is brief but full. While only four songs, Death's Crown Is Victory provides an accurate summation of Solstice's sound and the strength of the reunited band. Though Solstice have been nominally active since 2005, a 12-year gap between releases is nothing to simply shrug off; yet they have not atrophied in that long span of time, and this EP proves that they have the capacity to be as successful as ever.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 27.04.2014 by
Written on 27.04.2014 by
Dull Music for Dull People Comments
Comments:
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Posts: 164  |
Posts: 164
I did not even know about this release, now I can't wait to listen. Great review and good to know they are still on top of their game after a decade plus.
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 Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071
Btw, also the drummer is new  Only member still in the band who featured on New dark Age is Rich Walker, but then again Solsitce is Rich's brainchild.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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 Posts: 3099 |
Posts: 3099
Definitely need to hear this, they had a pretty unique style of doom back on their 90's albums with a lot of character, as you point out. I loosely associate them with DoomSword, although they sound fairly different. I also haven't heard that split with Slough Feg, something further to add to my list. 
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Posts: 6687 Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.04.2014 at 14:59 He is? Our profile of them says that the current drummer was a member of the previous incarnation, though he didn't play on New Dark Age. Perhaps our information isn't up-to-date.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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| Posts: 40071 |
Posts: 40071 Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 28.04.2014 at 18:43 oud info is extremely outdated. MA's info is totally up to date.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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Posts: 6687 Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 28.04.2014 at 19:33 Well, that's perfectly ironic. I'll get on that immediately. It's a good thing the one member I named is still in the band.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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 Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989
The general style of that album art reminds me a lot of this one. Wonder if they're done by the same guy.
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 6687 Written by Auntie Sahar on 28.04.2014 at 20:09 Funnily enough, that same discussion is on this album's page.
---- "Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader I'm the Agent of Steel.
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| Posts: 5989 |
Posts: 5989 Written by ScreamingSteelUS on 28.04.2014 at 20:12 It's affirmative, Chris Smith of Grey Aria Studio
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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